Can you manually focus your camera and still use autofocus?

Is it good for your camera to use the autofocus and maunally zoom? I'm new to the camera "profession." I use the manual zoom in and the switch the m to a for autofocus. It gives the picture the focus it needs that I can't get with the manual sometimes. Is this bad for the camera? Or is it normal? I have a Nikon d3200.

If the lens has full time manual focus, yeah it won't do anything bad. You can even use MF if the lens switch is still in AF. If the lens doesn't have full time manual focus you'll run into some problems though.

The zoom and the focus are independent of each other. Standard procedure is to leave the focus on auto and to manually zoom as needed.

It depends on the lens.

For entry level lenses such as the 18-55mm you have on your D3200, manual and autofocus can't be used simultaneously. Your lens will have a M-A switch on it. Switch it to M for manual focus, or A for autofocus. If you tried to manually focus this lens in the A mode, you could damage the focus motor.

Higher end Nikon lenses have a M/A-M switch. In M mode, it will manually focus only. But in the M/A mode, it will autofocus, but you can also grasp the focus ring and manually override the autofocus if need be without switching the lens to manual mode.

Autofocus is not always infallible. This is why all DSLRs have focusing rings. They are intended to be used for those times when the camera can't properly focus.

Zoom is a different thing. All Nikon lenses (except for the Nikon 1 video lens that has a Power Zoom feature) are manual zoom only.