Learn Hardcore Hausa: A idon Allah, kowa yana da ƙima ɗaya. - In God’s eyes, everyone has the same worth.

The a is required because Hausa normally uses a preposition here, just like English uses in:
You can’t say just Idon Allah, kowa…; you need A idon Allah… to be natural.

What does kowa mean exactly, and is it singular or plural?

kowa means everyone / everybody / anyone.

Grammatically, it behaves like a singular noun:

It takes third person singular verb forms.
In this sentence, it goes with yana (3rd person singular masculine).

So:

kowa yana da ƙima ɗaya = everyone has equal value / everyone has the same worth.

Even though it refers to many people in meaning, the grammar treats it as singular, very similar to English:
“Everyone has…” (not “everyone have…”).

How does yana work here? Is it “is” or “has”?

yana is actually a verb form that already includes the subject pronoun:

ya = he (3rd person singular masculine pronoun)
na = PROGRESSIVE / continuous marker

Together: ya + na → yana = “he is (doing)” / “he is (in a state)”

In this sentence, the structure is:

kowa (everyone) – subject
yana – “he is”
da – “with / has”
ƙima ɗaya – “one value / equal worth”

So yana da together means “has”:

Literally: “everyone is with one value”
Idiomatically: “everyone has equal worth.”

So yana is not “has” by itself; it’s “he is”. The idea of possession comes from da.

What is the role of da in yana da ƙima ɗaya?

In Hausa, da often means “with”, and it is commonly used to express possession (like “to have”).

Structure:

yana da X = he has X (literally “he is with X”)
kowa yana da ƙima ɗaya = everyone has equal worth

Other examples:

Ina da kuɗi. = I have money. (literally: I am with money.)
Suna da mota. = They have a car. (literally: they are with a car.)

So in this sentence, da is essential for the meaning “to have.”

What does ƙima mean, and how is the letter ƙ pronounced?

ƙima means “value, worth, dignity, importance.”

About the consonant ƙ:

It is not the same as plain k.
k is a normal [k] sound.
ƙ is an ejective k (a “popping” or “glottalic” k). Air is pushed out sharply from the glottis.

In practice, many learners just pronounce ƙ like a stronger, more emphatic k, and native speakers will still understand you, but it is a distinct sound in Hausa spelling.

So:

ƙima ≈ “KIMA” with a sharp k’ sound: “value / worth / dignity.”

Does ɗaya just mean “one,” or does it also mean “equal / same” here?

Literally, ɗaya means “one.”

However, in combinations like ƙima ɗaya (“one value”), the natural translation in English is:

“the same value” / “equal worth.”

So:

ƙima ɗaya = one (and the same) value → equal value / equal worth.

This pattern is quite common in Hausa:

launi ɗaya = one color → the same color
gida ɗaya = one house → the same house

In this sentence, ɗaya still literally means “one,” but the intended meaning is “the same / equal.”

Why is ido changed to idon in idon Allah?

Ido is the basic word for “eye.”
When it’s possessed (eye of someone), Hausa typically adds a linking consonant -n (for words ending in a vowel).

ido (eye) → idon (eye-of)
Then you add what it belongs to: idon Allah = the eye of God / God’s eye.

This is a common pattern:

gida (house) → gidan Malam = the teacher’s house
suna (name) → sunan yaro = the boy’s name

So idon is the possessive/genitive form of ido.

Is the word order in A idon Allah, kowa yana da ƙima ɗaya fixed, or can it change?

The word order here is:

[Prepositional phrase] + [Subject] + [Verb] + [Other elements]

A idon Allah = In God’s eyes
kowa = everyone
yana da ƙima ɗaya = has equal worth

You could also say:

Kowa yana da ƙima ɗaya a idon Allah.

Both are correct. Moving a idon Allah to the front puts extra emphasis on “In God’s eyes,” much like in English:

“In God’s eyes, everyone has equal worth”
vs.
“Everyone has equal worth in God’s eyes.”

So the order is flexible for emphasis, but within the clause, the normal order is still Subject–Verb–(Object/Complement):
kowa – yana da – ƙima ɗaya.

Could you use a wurin Allah instead of a idon Allah? Would it mean the same thing?

Yes, you can say:

A wurin Allah, kowa yana da ƙima ɗaya.

wuri means “place” / “presence” / “position.”
So a wurin Allah literally means “in the place of God / with God / in God’s view.”

In meaning, a wurin Allah and a idon Allah are very close:

a idon Allah = in God’s eyes
a wurin Allah = with God / in God’s estimation

Both can be understood as:

“As far as God is concerned…” / “With God…”

The “eye” expression feels slightly more vivid/imagistic, but both are idiomatic and natural.

How would you negate this sentence in Hausa?

To negate kowa yana da ƙima ɗaya, you use the negative pattern with ba … ba and change yana to ba ya:

A idon Allah, kowa ba ya da ƙima ɗaya ba.

Word by word:

kowa – everyone
ba ya – does not (he does not is / he is not)
da ƙima ɗaya – have equal worth

Meaning:

“In God’s eyes, not everyone has equal worth.”

(Note: This is grammatically correct but the opposite of the intended message of the original sentence. It’s useful here just to show how negation works.)