Learn Hardcore Hausa: Ni ina so su yi tunani kafin su saka wani abu a shafin sada zumunta. - I want them to think before they post anything on social media.

Ni ina so su yi tunani kafin su saka wani abu a shafin sada zumunta.

I want them to think before they post anything on social media.

Breakdown of Ni ina so su yi tunani kafin su saka wani abu a shafin sada zumunta.

the social media page

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Questions & Answers about Ni ina so su yi tunani kafin su saka wani abu a shafin sada zumunta.

Why does the sentence start with Ni ina so instead of just Ina so?

In Hausa, you don’t normally need to say the independent pronoun ni (I) because the verb form ina already tells you the subject is I.

Ina so... = I want / I like... (perfectly normal and complete)
Ni ina so... = I, I want... or Me, I want... (adds emphasis)

So Ni ina so su yi tunani... emphasizes I in contrast to others, something like:

As for me, I want them to think…
Me, I want them to think…

You could say the sentence without Ni and it would still be correct and natural, just slightly less emphatic:

Ina so su yi tunani kafin su saka...

What exactly does so mean in ina so su yi tunani – is it “want”, “like”, or “love”?

The verb so is quite flexible in Hausa. It can cover meanings that in English are split between want, like, and sometimes love, depending on context.

With actions (verb clauses), so often means “want”:
- Ina so su yi tunani. = I want them to think.
With people or things as objects, it can mean “like” or “love”:
- Ina son ki. = I love you / I like you (fem.).
- Ina son shayi. = I like tea.

In your sentence, because it’s followed by another clause (su yi tunani), so is best understood as “want”:
Ni ina so su yi tunani... = I want them to think…

Why is su repeated in su yi tunani and su saka? Could we drop one of them?

Su is the third-person plural subject pronoun: they.

su yi tunani = that they think
kafin su saka = before they put / before they post

In Hausa, every finite verb generally needs its own subject pronoun, especially in separate clauses. Here we have two verb phrases in two clauses:

su yi tunani – subordinate clause after ina so
kafin su saka... – subordinate clause after kafin (before)

Because these are separate clauses, su appears before each verb:

ina so [su yi tunani] [kafin su saka wani abu...]

You cannot normally drop su in either place here; each verb (yi, saka) needs its subject pronoun su.

Is su here “they” or “them”?

Hausa subject pronouns don’t distinguish “they” vs “them” the way English does. The same form su is used for both subject and (in many contexts) object.

In your sentence, su is clearly the subject of the verbs:

su yi tunani = they think
su saka = they put / they post

So in English we translate it as “they”:

I want *them to think = literally I want **they should think* (structurally closer to Hausa)
before *they put something on social media.*

Grammatically in Hausa, su here is subject, but in English translation it ends up as “them” in I want them to think because English forces that structure.

What is yi in su yi tunani? Why not a single verb meaning “to think”?

Yi is a very common, somewhat irregular verb in Hausa meaning roughly “do / make”. It is often used with a noun to form a meaning that, in English, we express with a single verb.

yi tunani literally: do thought → idiomatically: think

This type of combination is very common:

yi magana = speak, talk (literally do speech)
yi tafiya = travel, go (literally do journey)
yi wasa = play (literally do play/game)

So:

su yi tunani
= they do thought
= they think

In your sentence, yi tunani is simply the normal way to say “to think” in Hausa.

What does kafin mean, and how does it work in this sentence?

Kafin means “before” (in the time sense).

It introduces a subordinate clause that says what happens earlier in time. The structure is:

[Event A] kafin [Subject] [Verb] [Object]
= [Event A] before [subject] [verb] [object]

In your sentence:

su yi tunani kafin su saka wani abu a shafin sada zumunta
= they think before they put something on social media

So:

kafin su saka wani abu...
= before they post something…

Key points:

kafin is followed directly by a clause, not by an infinitive:
- kafin su saka... (before they put...), not kafin saka...
You still need the subject pronoun (su) after kafin.

What does wani abu mean exactly, and why is it used for “something”?

Wani abu literally breaks down as:

wani = a / some / a certain (indefinite marker, often masculine)
abu = thing

Together, wani abu means “some thing”, i.e. “something” or “anything”, depending on context.

In your sentence:

su saka wani abu a shafin sada zumunta
= they put/post something on social media

You’ll see wani used a lot to introduce indefinite, unspecified people or things:

wani mutum = someone / a certain man
wani lokaci = some time / at some point

So wani abu is the natural way to say “something / anything” here.

How is a shafin sada zumunta built up, and what does each word mean?

a shafin sada zumunta corresponds to “on the social media page” (or simply on social media in more natural English).

Breakdown:

a = preposition “in / at / on” (general locative marker)
shafi = page, leaf (of a book)
-n = linking/genitive marker (used when a noun is followed by another noun phrase that modifies it)
- shafi + n → shafin
sada = linking, connecting, putting in contact
zumunta = kinship, social relations, community ties

sada zumunta together is a modern expression used for “social media”, literally something like connecting kinship / connecting relations.

So:

shafin sada zumunta
= the page of social media / a social media page
a shafin sada zumunta
= on a/the social media page or simply on social media

Why is it yi tunani and not just tunani as the verb “to think”?

Tunani by itself is a noun meaning “thought, thinking, idea”.

To make it into a verb phrase “to think”, Hausa commonly adds the verb yi (do), creating:

yi tunani = do thought = think

Saying only tunani would be like saying thought (a noun), not to think (a verb). You need yi to make it an action in the sentence:

✅ su yi tunani = they think
❌ su tunani (not correct in standard grammar)

What is the difference between ina so su yi tunani and ina son su yi tunani?

Both forms can be heard, but they reflect slightly different structures.

ina so su yi tunani
- Here so behaves more like a verb (want / like).
- It’s directly followed by a clause: su yi tunani (that they think).
- This is very natural and common: I want them to think.
ina son su yi tunani
- son is the nominal (noun) form of so plus the genitive marker -n. Literally “the wanting of”.
- This structure fits best when the next thing is a noun phrase, e.g.:
  - ina son rai nagari = I love a good life.
- With a full clause (su yi tunani), many speakers still say it, but ina so su yi tunani is clearer and more straightforward.

For a learner, ina so su yi tunani is the safer, textbook-like choice for “I want them to think.”

Does this sentence talk about a general rule, or about a specific future situation? There’s no future marker.

Hausa often uses the progressive/imperfective form (ina, suna, yana, tana, etc.) plus the bare subjunctive clause to express either:

general desires / habits, or
near-future / intended actions, depending on context.

Ina so su yi tunani kafin su saka wani abu a shafin sada zumunta can mean:

General principle:
- I want them (people, my kids, etc.) to think before they post on social media (as a general rule).
Specific future situation (e.g. talking about something they are about to post):
- I want them to think before they post something (this time).

Hausa doesn’t need a separate “will” or future marker here; the context determines whether you understand it as general or future.