Learn Hardcore Hausa: Kowane wata Baba yana ƙara kuɗi a ajiyarsa a banki. - Every month father adds money to his savings in the bank.

You’ll also hear feminine/other forms in grammar books (like kowace rana “every day”), but in everyday speech kowane is very widely used and kowane wata is a normal, natural phrase for “every month.”

Why does the sentence start with kowane wata instead of starting with Baba?

Hausa often puts time expressions at the beginning of the sentence to set the scene:

Kowane wata Baba yana ƙara kuɗi…
Every month, Baba adds money…

This is similar to English sentences like “Every month, Baba adds money…” where every month comes first for emphasis or clarity.

You can also hear:

Baba yana ƙara kuɗi kowane wata a ajiyarsa a banki.

Both word orders are grammatical; starting with kowane wata just highlights the when.

What does yana do in this sentence, and could I just say Baba ƙara kuɗi… without it?

Yana is a tense–aspect marker showing an ongoing or repeated action (progressive aspect).

Baba yana ƙara kuɗi…
= “Baba is adding / Baba adds (regularly) money…”

In combination with kowane wata (“every month”), yana gives a habitual meaning: something he does regularly.

You cannot normally drop it and say *Baba ƙara kuɗi… on its own; that’s not a complete verb phrase.

Related forms:

Baba na ƙara kuɗi… – a slightly shorter, very common colloquial form (same meaning as yana ƙara).
Baba ya ƙara kuɗi… – “Baba added money…” (a completed, one‑time action, not a habit).
Baba yakan ƙara kuɗi… – “Baba usually / generally adds money…” (strongly habitual).

In your sentence, yana is the right choice to express a regular, ongoing habit with kowane wata.

Does ƙara just mean “to add,” or does it have other meanings?

Ƙara is quite flexible. Common meanings include:

To add / increase (something):
- Baba yana ƙara kuɗi. – Baba is adding money.
- Ka ƙara sukari. – Add (some) sugar.
To increase in amount/degree:
- Farashin ya ƙaru. – The price has increased.
  (This is the intransitive form; related to ƙara.)
“Again / more” (as a verb of doing something additional):
- Ka ƙara gaya mini. – Tell me again / tell me more.
- Sun ƙara tambaya. – They asked again / asked more questions.

In ƙara kuɗi, the meaning is clearly “add (more) money”.

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

Kuɗi means money, and it is grammatically plural in Hausa.

You do not normally have a separate singular form like “a money.”
You can use it for:
- money in general
- a sum of money
- fees / price / cost

Examples:

Ina da kuɗi. – I have money.
Kuɗinsa sun yi yawa. – His money is a lot. (note plural verb sun “they have”)
Kuɗin mota – the price of the car

In your sentence, ƙara kuɗi = “add (some) money”; you don’t need a separate word for “some.”

What does ajiyarsa literally mean, and how is it formed?

Ajiyarsa is made of three parts:

ajiya – a noun meaning deposit, storage, savings (from the verb ajiye “to keep, store, save”)
-r- – a linking sound (a kind of genitive/possessive linker that often appears after feminine nouns ending in -a)
-sa – a possessive pronoun suffix “his”

So:

ajiya + r + sa → ajiyarsa
Literally: “his savings / his deposit / the savings of him.”

Compare:

motarsa – his car (from mota + r + sa)
ajiyata – my savings (ajiya + r + ta, where -ta = “my”)
ajiyarsu – their savings (-su = “their”)

In this sentence a ajiyarsa means “in his savings (account/plan)” or “in his deposit.”

Why do we have two prepositions a in a ajiyarsa a banki? Can I use only one?

Here the two a’s mark two different locations/contexts:

a ajiyarsa – in his savings (account/plan)
a banki – at / in the bank

Together: “in his savings (which he has) at the bank.”

Hausa generally uses a before each separate noun phrase indicating place:

a gida a Kano – at home in Kano
a ofis a jami’a – in the office at the university

If you drop one a, the result usually sounds ungrammatical or unclear.
So a ajiyarsa a banki (two a’s) is the natural way to say it.

Does a banki mean “in the bank” or “to the bank”? How would I say “Baba goes to the bank every month”?

In your sentence, a banki means “in/at the bank”, not “to the bank.”
The preposition a mainly expresses location (in/at/on).

To express direction / going to a place, Hausa more often uses:

a motion verb like je (“go”)
sometimes followed directly by the place, or with zuwa (“to/towards”).

For “Baba goes to the bank every month,” you can say:

Kowane wata Baba yana zuwa banki.
Kowane wata Baba yana je banki. (colloquial)
Baba yakan je banki kowane wata. – Baba usually goes to the bank every month.

Note: banki is a loanword from English “bank,” used just like a normal noun.

Does Baba here mean “dad/father,” or is it just a personal name? How would I say “my dad”?

Baba can be:

A common noun meaning “father / dad.”
A personal name or nickname for a man.

In your sentence, written with capital B, it probably functions like a name (like “Baba” as a person’s name). But the form is the same as the word for “father.”

To say “my dad”, you normally say:

baba na – my dad
baba na yana ƙara kuɗi… – my dad adds money…

Other possessive forms:

babanmu – our dad
babanku – your (pl.) dad
babansu – their dad

If I want to say “Every month Baba saves money in the bank” (not just “adds money to his savings”), what verb could I use?

A very natural verb for “save (money)” in Hausa is ajiye (“to put aside, deposit, store”). So you can say:

Kowane wata Baba yana ajiye kuɗi a banki.
– Every month Baba saves money in the bank.

Other close options:

Kowane wata Baba yana ajiye kuɗi a ajiyarsa a banki.
– Every month Baba saves money in his savings at the bank.
Kowane wata Baba yana sa kuɗi a banki.
– Literally: Every month Baba puts money in the bank. (more general “put”)

In your original sentence, ƙara kuɗi a ajiyarsa emphasizes adding to an existing savings.
Using ajiye kuɗi focuses more generally on saving / setting money aside.

How are the consonants ƙ in ƙara and ɗ in kuɗi pronounced compared to normal k and d?

Hausa has special consonants written with dots/hooks that are not the same as plain k and d:

ƙ (as in ƙara)
- A tense, glottalized “k” sound (often described as an ejective).
- Made with more pressure and a slight “pop” compared to plain k.
- Contrast:
  - kasa – ground/soil
  - ƙasa – country
ɗ (as in kuɗi)
- A special implosive “d” sound.
- Your tongue is in a d position, but air is drawn slightly inward.
- Contrast:
  - dawa – guinea corn
  - ɗawa – locust bean

Pronouncing ƙ and ɗ distinctly is important, because in many cases they change the meaning of words.