Learn Hardcore Hausa: Ni ina so in raba labari a shafin sada zumunta. - I want to share a story on the social media site.

Ni = the independent pronoun “I / me”, used especially for emphasis or contrast.
ina = the subject + tense marker “I (am)” that is part of the verb phrase.

So:

Ina so in raba labari… = I want to share a story… (normal, neutral).
Ni ina so in raba labari… = I (myself) want to share a story… (emphasizing I, maybe in contrast to others).

You can safely drop Ni and still have a correct sentence: Ina so in raba labari a shafin sada zumunta.

What exactly does ina so mean? Is it “I want” or “I like”?

Ina so can mean either “I want” or “I like / love”, depending on what follows:

with another verb (clause) after it, it normally means “I want to …”
- Ina so in tafi. – I want to go.
- Ina so in raba labari. – I want to share a story.
with a noun after it, it often means “I like / love …”
- Ina son ki. – I love you (to a female).
- Ina son kofi. – I like coffee.

Notice that with a noun, you usually see son (with -n) rather than bare so:

Ina son labarai. – I like stories/news.

In your sentence, because it is followed by a verb (in raba), ina so clearly means “I want (to)”, not “I like”.

Why is there a small word in before raba? What does in do?

in here is a subjunctive subject marker meaning roughly “that I (should)” or English “to” in “to share”:

ina so in raba labari
literally: I-want that-I-share story
natural English: I want to share a story.

The subjunctive subject markers are:

in – that I
ka / ki – that you (m/f sg.)
ya / ta – that he / she
mu – that we
ku – that you (pl.)
su – that they

You use in after verbs like so (want), nema (seek), roƙo (ask, request), etc., when they are followed by another action.

Is in related to ni (“I”) or ina (“I am”)?

They are related in function (all refer to “I”), but they are different forms in different slots:

ni – independent pronoun (I), used alone or for emphasis.
ina – “I + continuous/present marker,” used as the subject of a main verb (I am / I (present)).
in – “I” in the subjunctive / dependent clause, often after another verb (that I…).

So:

Ni ina so… – I (emphatic) want…
Ina so in raba labari. – I want to share (lit. want that I share).

Could I say Ina son raba labari a shafin sada zumunta instead?

Yes, Ina son raba labari a shafin sada zumunta is also acceptable and natural. The nuance:

Ina so in raba labari…
– more explicitly two verbs: I want to share a story…
Ina son raba labari…
– so is turned into the noun son (“liking, wanting”), and raba labari is treated as what is desired: I have a desire for sharing a story…

In everyday speech, both patterns are used. With another verb after it, many speakers prefer so + in + verb, but son + verb also occurs. For a learner, Ina so in raba… is a very clear, standard model.

What does raba labari literally mean? Is it the normal way to say “share a story”?

Literally:

raba = to divide, share out, distribute.
labari = story, news, information, report.

So raba labari is “to share/distribute a story (or news).” It is perfectly understandable for “share a story,” including in a social-media context.

Other verbs you might also see for “share/post/spread” content:

yada labari – spread news, disseminate information.
saka labari – put/post a story (e.g. on a page).
wallafa labari – publish a story (more formal).

In your sentence, raba labari is fine and idiomatic.

Does labari mean “story” or “news”? Why is there no word for “a/the” story?

labari can mean:

story, tale
news, report, information

The exact sense comes from context. On social media, it could be a story, a piece of news, or some information you want to share.

Hausa does not have articles like English “a, an, the”. So:

labari can be a story, the story, some news, the news depending on what you mean and the context.
If you want to be explicit, you can add demonstratives or numbers:
- wannan labari – this story
- wani labari – a certain / some story
- labari ɗaya – one story

In your sentence, plain labari is the natural way to say “a story / some news.”

What does the preposition a mean in a shafin sada zumunta? Is it “in”, “on”, or “at”?

a is a very general locative preposition that can cover English “in, on, at” depending on context. In your phrase:

a shafin sada zumunta = on a social-media page (or: on a social media account).

Other examples:

a gida – at home / in the house
a kasuwa – at the market
a tebur – on the table

Here, English naturally uses “on” (on social media / on a page), but Hausa just uses a.

Why is it shafin sada zumunta and not just shafi sada zumunta?

shafi means “page” (page of a book, web page, etc.). When it is linked to another noun in a genitive-like “of” relationship, Hausa usually adds a linking consonant:

shafi + -n + sada zumunta → shafin sada zumunta
literally: page-of social-connection.

This pattern (called a genitive construction or possessive chain) is very common:

littafin Hausa – Hausa book (book of Hausa)
motar gida – the family’s car (car of the house/family)

So shafin sada zumunta is “social-media page” or “page of social media.”

What does sada zumunta mean by itself?

sada zumunta is a set phrase that has come to mean “social networking / social media.” Literally:

sada – joining, connecting, making contact.
zumunta – kinship, social ties, relationships between people.

So sada zumunta is like “connecting relationships / social connection,” and together they are used for social media / social networking.

You might also see:

kafafen sada zumunta – “social media platforms” (literally: means/channels of social connection).

If I just want to say “on social media” without mentioning “page”, what can I say?

Two common options:

a kafafen sada zumunta – on social media platforms / on social media.
a shafukan sada zumunta – on social media pages (plural).

So you could say:

Ina so in raba labari a kafafen sada zumunta.
– I want to share a story on social media.

The original a shafin sada zumunta is more like “on a social-media page/account.”

Does ina so express a particular tense, like English “I am wanting”?

ina is the present / continuous subject marker for “I”. With many verbs, it can cover:

present continuous (I am doing),
simple present (I do),
and “current state” (I want, I know, I like).

Even though English doesn’t normally say “I am wanting”, Hausa comfortably uses Ina so for “I want.” Some parallels:

Ina cin abinci. – I am eating (food).
Ina zaune a Kano. – I live in Kano / I am living in Kano.
Ina so in raba labari. – I want to share a story.

So you can think of ina so as the normal way to say “I want” in the present.

Are there other natural ways to express the same idea in Hausa?

Yes, a few close alternatives:

Ina so in raba labari a shafin sada zumunta.
– I want to share a story on a social-media page.
Ina son raba labari a shafin sada zumunta.
– I want / I feel like sharing a story on a social-media page.
Zan raba labari a shafin sada zumunta.
– I will share a story on a social-media page. (focus on future intention rather than “want”.)
Ina so in saka wannan labari a shafin sada zumunta.
– I want to post this story on a social-media page.

All are grammatical; the original is a very good general-purpose sentence.