Learn Hardcore Hausa: A kan kwamfuta a ofis ina saka kalmar sirri kafin in buɗe imel. - On the computer at the office I enter a password before I open email.

a kan kwamfuta = on the computer
- a = on / at
- kan = top / surface
- Together: literally at the top (surface) of the computer → on the computer.
a ofis = in the office
- ofis is “office” (loan from English/French).

You see a twice because there are two separate location phrases:

a kan kwamfuta – the physical device
a ofis – the place where you are

So the sentence structure is basically:
[On the computer] [in the office] [I enter the password] [before I open email].

Could I leave out a and just say kan kwamfuta instead of a kan kwamfuta?

In ordinary, neutral speech you should keep a here. The most natural way to say “on the computer” is:

a kan kwamfuta

Saying kan kwamfuta by itself is not impossible in all contexts, but it sounds incomplete or more like a noun phrase “the top of the computer” rather than a full prepositional phrase “on the computer.”

So for learner purposes, treat a kan X as the normal pattern for “on X.”

Is the word order flexible? Can I say Ina saka kalmar sirri a kan kwamfuta a ofis instead?

Yes, Hausa word order is fairly flexible with adverbials (time, place, manner).

Both of these are correct:

A kan kwamfuta a ofis ina saka kalmar sirri kafin in buɗe imel.
Ina saka kalmar sirri a kan kwamfuta a ofis kafin in buɗe imel.

Differences:

Putting a kan kwamfuta a ofis at the beginning gives extra emphasis to the location: As for on the computer at the office, that’s where I enter…
Putting ina saka kalmar sirri first is more like neutral English order: I enter the password on the computer at the office…

As a learner, it’s perfectly fine (and maybe easier) to start most sentences with Ina … or Na … (subject + verb) and put place/time after the verb.

What’s the difference between ina saka and na saka here?

Both involve the verb saka (“to put, insert, wear”), but the tense/aspect is different:

ina saka = I am putting / I (usually) put
- ina marks an imperfective / progressive / habitual action.
- In this sentence, it describes a regular habit or ongoing procedure.
na saka = I put / I have put
- na (before the verb) usually marks the perfective: a completed action.

So:

Ina saka kalmar sirri kafin in buɗe imel.
→ I normally/usually enter the password before opening email.
Na saka kalmar sirri kafin na buɗe imel.
→ I entered the password before I opened the email (a specific event in the past).

In your sentence about a routine in the office, ina saka (habitual) is the most natural.

What does kalmar sirri literally mean, and is it the normal way to say “password”?

Literally:

kalma = “word”
kalmar = “the word / word-of” (genitive form)
sirri = “secret”

So kalmar sirri literally means “secret word.”

It is a common and perfectly natural way to say “password.”
You may also hear:

lambar sirri – “secret number” (often for PINs)
sirrin shiga – “login secret / key” (less common, more descriptive)

But kalmar sirri is a good default for computer and account passwords.

Why is it kafin in buɗe imel, and not kafin na buɗe imel? What is in doing here?

kafin means “before” (from kafin / kafin nan “before that”).
After kafin, Hausa normally uses the subjunctive form of the verb.

For the first person singular, the subjunctive marker is in:

in buɗe = that I open / before I open

So:

kafin in buɗe imel = before I open email

Using na after kafin is possible in some styles and dialects, but the standard/most taught pattern is:

kafin in tafi – before I go
kafin ya zo – before he comes
kafin su ci – before they eat

So in here is the “I” subject marker in the subjunctive, not the word for “if” (even though they look the same in spelling). Context shows the difference.

Is in here the same in as in in na je (“if I go”)?

They’re written the same, but functionally:

In kafin in buɗe, in is the subjunctive subject marker for “I”:
- “before I open”
In in na je, in is a conditional particle meaning “if.”

So:

kafin in buɗe imel – before I open email
in na je ofis – if I go to the office

They overlap phonologically, but you can tell which one is meant from the surrounding words:

After kafin, you expect a subjunctive verb form.
At the beginning of a clause meaning “if…”, in is the conditional.

What exactly does the verb buɗe mean? Is it only “open” for physical things?

buɗe means “to open, to unlock.” It is used both for:

Physical things:
- buɗe ƙofa – open the door
- buɗe littafi – open the book
Non-physical / digital things:
- buɗe imel – open (an) email
- buɗe shafi – open a (web) page
- buɗe asusu – open an account

So it corresponds quite closely to English “open” in everyday use.

What about the word imel? Is it just the English word “email” in Hausa spelling?

Yes, imel is a straightforward loanword from English “email.”

Points to note:

Spelling: usually imel (sometimes imēl in older texts).
Pronunciation: roughly “EE-mel” (short e like in “met”).
It behaves like a normal Hausa noun:
- imel – email (sg.)
- imel ɗina – my email
- imel biyu – two emails
- Many speakers also use imel-imel or saƙon imel (“email message”) if they want to stress plurality or countability.

So you can treat imel as a regular Hausa noun meaning “email.”

There’s no word for “the” or “a” in the Hausa sentence. How do I know if it means “the computer” or “a computer”?

Hausa generally has no separate words for definite and indefinite articles (“the”, “a/an”) like English does. The meaning is taken from context.

In your sentence:

a kan kwamfuta a ofis
- In real life, this almost certainly means “on the computer at the office”, i.e., the specific office computer you use.
Grammatically, though, the bare noun kwamfuta can be translated as “a computer / the computer” depending on what is logical in context.

So:

When you translate Hausa → English, you choose “a” or “the” depending on what makes sense.
When you speak Hausa, you simply say kwamfuta, ofis, imel, etc., and let context carry the specificity.

Is there any difference between kwamfuta and komfuta, or are they the same word?

They are variant spellings/pronunciations of the same loanword from English “computer”:

kwamfuta – common spelling in many modern texts.
komfuta – also heard, especially in some dialects or older writing.

Both are understood. As a learner, it’s fine to settle on kwamfuta, since it’s very common in instructional materials and dictionaries.

Could I use a different verb instead of saka for “enter a password,” like something closer to “type”?

Yes, you have options. saka is broad (“put, insert”), and it is quite natural in context:

Ina saka kalmar sirri – I enter/put in the password.

Other possibilities:

Ina shigar da kalmar sirri.
- shigar da = “to enter, to input (data)” – this sounds a bit more technical or precise.
Ina rubuta kalmar sirri.
- rubuta = “to write” – more like literally writing/typing the password.

All are understandable; saka or shigar da are probably the most typical in a computing context.

Does ina saka kalmar sirri kafin in buɗe imel imply a habit, like “I always do this,” or can it also mean what I’m doing right now?

ina + verb (imperfective) can express both:

Current ongoing action:
- Ina saka kalmar sirri yanzu. – I am entering the password now.
Habitual / regular action:
- Ina saka kalmar sirri kafin in buɗe imel. – I (normally) enter the password before I open email.

In your sentence, because there’s no time word like yanzu (“now”), and the context is “on the computer at the office” (a regular situation), the natural reading is habitual: this is what you normally do whenever you check your email at the office.