English "by" does many jobs: by the back door, by way of Kano, by phone, by grace, a letter sent by a friend, a book written by Abubakar Imam. Hausa shares these jobs between several words, and the one this lesson teaches is ta (Ajami تَ), the preposition of the route: the way by which something goes, comes or is done. Ya shiga ta taga, "he came in by the window"; mun wuce ta kasuwa, "we went by way of the market".
From the route, ta extends to the means and the go-between. Hausa builds these meanings with a noun after ta:
- ta hanyar "by way of, by means of" (literally "by the road of"): ta hanyar Kano, "via Kano"; ta hanyar karatu, "by means of study" - ta hannun "through, by the agency of" (literally "by the hand of"): ta hannun dillali, "through a broker" - ta wurin "through, by" (literally "by the place of"), common in careful and religious prose: ta wurin alheri, "by grace" (Section F)
Two other kinds of English "by" are not ta, and you should know them from the start. By vehicle or instrument is usually da, the word for "with" from Lesson 17: ya zo da mota, "he came by car". By an agent in a passive sentence ("built by the emir") has no preposition at all in Hausa. Hausa names the doer as the subject instead: Sarki ne ya gina masallacin, "It was the emir who built the mosque". Section D sets these out.
ta never changes its form. It takes no endings and agrees with nothing.
Orthographic note: the preposition ta is spelt exactly like two other very common words: the pronoun ta "she, it (feminine)" (ta tafi, "she has gone") and the feminine linker ta "of" (wannan ta Audu ce, "this one is Audu's"). Position tells them apart: the pronoun stands before a verb, the preposition before a noun or place word. The Common Mistakes in Section D show how to read them.
FAQ: What does "ta" mean in Hausa? As a preposition, ta means "by, via, through, by way of": ta nan, "this way"; ta ina?, "which way?"; ta ƙofar baya, "by the back door". With hanyar, hannun and wurin it means "by means of", "through (a person)" and "by (grace, faith)". It is not used for "by car" (that is da mota) or for the doer of a passive.
- ta = "by, via, through": the route by which one goes or enters (ta taga, ta kasuwa). - ta nan "this way", ta ina? "which way?", ta haka "in this way, thereby". - ta hanyar "by means of", ta hannun "through (a person)", ta wurin "by, through". - By car / by train is usually da (da mota); ta is the road, da is the vehicle. - Hausa has no "by" for the doer of a passive: say who did it with focus (Audu ne ya rubuta) or a relative clause (littafin da Audu ya rubuta).
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ta is a single short syllable, /ta/, with the a of Italian casa cut short. It is never drawn out.
As in the earlier lessons, line b of every example gives a segmental IPA guide: it shows consonants and vowel qualities and does not mark tone or vowel length, which standard spelling also leaves unmarked. Learn the melody of each phrase by ear from native speech (BBC Hausa, VOA Hausa).
Sounds in this lesson that do not exist in English:
- ƙ /kʼ/ — ejective k, a sharp popped k: ƙofa (door), ƙarfi (strength), ƙanena (my younger brother), jirgin ƙasa (train) - ɗ /ɗ/ — implosive d, the air drawn inward: ɗan kasuwa (trader), ɗana (my son) - ɓ /ɓ/ — implosive b: ɓace (get lost) - ' /ʔ/ — glottal stop: sa'ad (when) in Section F - c /tʃ/ and j /dʒ/ — as in English church and judge: cece (saved), cikin (inside), jirgi (vehicle, vessel) - r — Hausa has a rolled r and a flapped r. Both are written r and are shown here as /r/.
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32.1a Ta by nan here
32.1b Ta /ta/ via.PREP nan /nan/ here.ADV
32.2a Ta by ina where
32.2b Ta /ta/ via.PREP ina /ina/ where.Q
32.3a Ta by ƙofar door-of baya back
32.3b Ta /ta/ via.PREP ƙofar /kʼofar/ door.F-LNK baya /baja/ back
32.4a Ta by hanyar road-of Kano Kano
32.4b Ta /ta/ via.PREP hanyar /hanjar/ road.F-LNK Kano /kano/ Kano.NAME
32.5a Ta by hannun hand-of Musa Musa
32.5b Ta /ta/ via.PREP hannun /hannun/ hand-LNK Musa /musa/ Musa.NAME
32.6a Mun we-have wuce passed ta by kasuwa market
32.6b Mun /mun/ 1PL.PERF wuce /wutʃe/ pass ta /ta/ via.PREP kasuwa /kasuwa/ market.F
32.7a Ya he-has shiga entered ta by taga window
32.7b Ya /ja/ 3SG.M.PERF shiga /ʃiɡa/ enter ta /ta/ via.PREP taga /taɡa/ window
32.8a Ta by ina where za will mu we bi follow
32.8b Ta /ta/ via.PREP ina /ina/ where.Q za /za/ FUT mu /mu/ 1PL bi /bi/ follow
32.9a Na I-have aika sent wasiƙa letter ta by hannun hand-of Audu Audu
32.9b Na /na/ 1SG.PERF aika /aika/ send wasiƙa /wasikʼa/ letter.F ta /ta/ via.PREP hannun /hannun/ hand-LNK Audu /audu/ Audu.NAME
32.10a Mun we-have sayi bought gidan the-house ta by hannun hand-of dillali broker
32.10b Mun /mun/ 1PL.PERF sayi /saji/ buy gidan /ɡidan/ house-DEF ta /ta/ via.PREP hannun /hannun/ hand-LNK dillali /dillali/ broker
32.11a Sun they-have yi done magana talk ta by waya phone jiya yesterday
32.11b Sun /sun/ 3PL.PERF yi /ji/ do magana /maɡana/ speech.F ta /ta/ via.PREP waya /waja/ wire/phone jiya /dʒija/ yesterday.ADV
32.12a Za will mu we tafi go Legas Lagos ta by hanyar road-of Ibadan Ibadan gobe tomorrow
32.12b Za /za/ FUT mu /mu/ 1PL tafi /tafi/ go Legas /leɡas/ Lagos.NAME ta /ta/ via.PREP hanyar /hanjar/ road.F-LNK Ibadan /ibadan/ Ibadan.NAME gobe /ɡobe/ tomorrow.ADV
32.13a Mutane people da with yawa many suna they-are samun getting labarai news ta by rediyo radio
32.13b Mutane /mutane/ person.PL da /da/ with.PREP yawa /jawa/ abundance suna /suna/ 3PL.CONT samun /samun/ get.VN-LNK labarai /labarai/ news.PL ta /ta/ via.PREP rediyo /redijo/ radio
32.14a Ta by hanyar road-of karatu study ne it-is mutum person yake he-is samun getting ilimi knowledge
32.14b Ta /ta/ via.PREP hanyar /hanjar/ road.F-LNK karatu /karatu/ study ne /ne/ FOC.M mutum /mutum/ person.M yake /jake/ 3SG.M.REL.CONT samun /samun/ get.VN-LNK ilimi /ilimi/ knowledge
32.15a Wannan this labari news ya it-has zo come mana to-us ta by hannun hand-of wani a-certain ɗan son-of kasuwa market
32.15b Wannan /wannan/ this.DEM labari /labari/ news.M ya /ja/ 3SG.M.PERF zo /zo/ come mana /mana/ 1PL.IO ta /ta/ via.PREP hannun /hannun/ hand-LNK wani /wani/ some.M ɗan /ɗan/ son.LNK kasuwa /kasuwa/ market.F
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32.1 Ta nan. → "This way."
32.2 Ta ina? → "Which way?"
32.3 Ta ƙofar baya. → "By the back door."
32.4 Ta hanyar Kano. → "By way of Kano."
32.5 Ta hannun Musa. → "Through Musa." (Care of Musa, by Musa's hand.)
32.6 Mun wuce ta kasuwa. → "We went by way of the market."
32.7 Ya shiga ta taga. → "He came in by the window."
32.8 Ta ina za mu bi? → "Which way shall we go?"
32.9 Na aika wasiƙa ta hannun Audu. → "I sent a letter by Audu."
32.10 Mun sayi gidan ta hannun dillali. → "We bought the house through a broker."
32.11 Sun yi magana ta waya jiya. → "They spoke by phone yesterday."
32.12 Za mu tafi Legas ta hanyar Ibadan gobe. → "We are going to Lagos by way of Ibadan tomorrow."
32.13 Mutane da yawa suna samun labarai ta rediyo. → "Many people get the news by radio."
32.14 Ta hanyar karatu ne mutum yake samun ilimi. → "It is by study that a person gains knowledge."
32.15 Wannan labari ya zo mana ta hannun wani ɗan kasuwa. → "This news reached us through a trader."
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32.1 Ta nan.
32.2 Ta ina?
32.3 Ta ƙofar baya.
32.4 Ta hanyar Kano.
32.5 Ta hannun Musa.
32.6 Mun wuce ta kasuwa.
32.7 Ya shiga ta taga.
32.8 Ta ina za mu bi?
32.9 Na aika wasiƙa ta hannun Audu.
32.10 Mun sayi gidan ta hannun dillali.
32.11 Sun yi magana ta waya jiya.
32.12 Za mu tafi Legas ta hanyar Ibadan gobe.
32.13 Mutane da yawa suna samun labarai ta rediyo.
32.14 Ta hanyar karatu ne mutum yake samun ilimi.
32.15 Wannan labari ya zo mana ta hannun wani ɗan kasuwa.
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These are the grammar rules for ta in Hausa:
1. The route: ta + place. Ta names the way by which someone moves: the opening, the road or the place passed through. It goes with verbs of movement: wuce "pass" (32.6), shiga "enter" (32.7), bi "follow, take (a road)" (32.8), fito "come out" (32.28), biyo "come along (this way)" (32.30). - ya shiga ta taga — he came in by the window - mun wuce ta kasuwa — we passed by way of the market
2. Ta with place words. Ta combines with the place adverbs and question words: - ta nan — this way, by here (32.1, 32.30) - ta can — that way, by there - ta ina? — which way? by where? (32.2, 32.8) - ta haka — in this way, thereby (32.29)
3. Ta + a noun of place in the genitive. Many "by" phrases are ta + a noun with the linker -n (masculine) or -r (feminine) + its complement. The linker is the "of": - ta hanyar (hanya "road", f.) — by way of, via, by means of (32.4, 32.12, 32.14) - ta hannun (hannu "hand", m.) — through, by the agency of (32.5, 32.9, 32.10, 32.15) - ta wurin (wuri "place", m.) — through, by (Section F) - ta ƙofar (ƙofa "door", f.) — by the door of (32.3) - ta cikin (ciki "inside", m.) — through, through the middle of (32.18) - ta gaban (gaba "front", m.) — past, in front of (32.19) - ta gefen (gefe "side", m.) — along, by the side of (32.21)
4. Means: ta hanyar, ta waya, ta rediyo. From the road the meaning passes to the channel: ta hanyar karatu "by means of study" (32.14); ta waya "by phone" (32.11, 32.24, 32.25); ta rediyo "by radio" (32.13). Use ta for the channel a message or a skill travels along.
5. A person as go-between: ta hannun. When something passes through someone's hands (a letter, a payment, a sale, news), Hausa says ta hannun "by the hand of": Na aika wasiƙa ta hannun Audu (32.9), Mun sayi gidan ta hannun dillali (32.10). Ta hannun names the intermediary, not the author.
6. By vehicle or tool: da, not ta. With a vehicle, an animal or a tool Hausa normally uses da "with" (Lesson 17): - ya zo da mota — he came by car - idan ka zo da jirgin ƙasa — if you come by train (32.28) - ya yanke da wuƙa — he cut it with (by means of) a knife The contrast is useful: da is what you travel in or work with; ta is the way you go through. Sentence 32.28 puts the two side by side.
7. The doer of a passive: no preposition. English "The mosque was built by the emir" has no word-for-word Hausa equivalent. Hausa has an impersonal form with an "one has" (an gina masallacin "the mosque was built", literally "one built the mosque") and the continuous ana (ana gyaranta "it is being repaired", 32.27), but these do not take an agent. To name the doer, make it the subject: - Sarki ne ya gina masallacin. — The emir built the mosque. (It was the emir who built it.) - littafin da Abubakar Imam ya rubuta — the book written by Abubakar Imam (literally "the book that Abubakar Imam wrote")
8. Focus on a ta-phrase. A ta phrase can be moved to the front for emphasis and marked with ne (m.) / ce (f.). The pronoun then takes its relative form (continuous yake, suke; perfective ya, suka): Ta hanyar karatu ne mutum yake samun ilimi "It is by study that a person gains knowledge" (32.14). A question word with ta is fronted in the same way: Ta ina za mu bi? (32.8).
9. Subject pronouns used in this lesson (the pronoun carries tense and aspect; the verb does not change): - Perfective (completed): na, ya, mun, sun - Relative perfective (after a focus or "when"): kuka (Section F) - Continuous: ina, suna; with focus: yake - Future: za ka, za mu - Subjunctive (commands, instructions): ka; negative command: kada ka
Mistake 1: using ta for "by car". Ya zo ta mota is not the normal way to say "he came by car". Say ya zo da mota. Ta is for the route: ya zo ta hanyar Zariya "he came by the Zaria road".
Mistake 2: looking for a passive "by". Do not translate "written by Audu" as rubuta ta Audu. Say Audu ne ya rubuta or wanda Audu ya rubuta.
Mistake 3: confusing ta hannun with the author. Wasiƙa ta zo ta hannun Musa means "the letter came through Musa", that is, Musa carried it. It does not mean Musa wrote it.
Mistake 4: misreading the three ta's. In Wasiƙa ta zo ta hannun Musa the first ta is the pronoun "it (f.)" standing before the verb zo; the second is the preposition "by" standing before the noun hannun. A third ta, the feminine linker "of", appears in independent possessives: wannan ta Audu ce "this one (f.) is Audu's".
Mistake 5: dropping the linker. Ta hanyar Kano, not ta hanya Kano; ta hannun Audu, not ta hannu Audu. When a noun is followed by its "of"-complement it needs -r or -n.
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Frequency and register. Ta is one of the small set of basic Hausa prepositions (with a "at", da "with", daga "from", zuwa "to"). Grammars of Hausa list it with the meaning "via, by means of" (Jaggar, Hausa, 2001). Bare ta belongs to everyday speech: directions, doors, roads. The compounds ta hanyar and ta wurin are frequent in radio news, official writing and scripture, where English would say "by means of" or "through".
Giving directions. Hausa towns are traditionally navigated by landmarks, not street names: the market, the mosque, the emir's palace, a school wall, a particular gate. Directions are a chain of ta phrases: go ta the market, pass ta gaban the mosque, keep ta gefen the wall. The Genre Section is such a chain, sent as a phone message.
The go-between. Much business in northern Nigeria passes through intermediaries: the dillali (broker, agent) in the livestock, grain and property markets, the relative who carries a letter or a gift. Ta hannun "by the hand of" is the phrase for all of them. The dictionary example mun sayi gidan ta hannun dillali "we bought the house through a broker" (32.10) is a typical sentence of this world.
Writers and "by". Hausa has a modern prose literature. Abubakar Imam's Ruwan Bagaja and Magana Jari Ce are among its classics. A Hausa reader does not say "Magana Jari Ce, by Abubakar Imam" with a preposition. The author is named as the one who wrote it: Abubakar Imam ne ya rubuta (Section D, rule 7).
Varieties. Ta has the same form and uses across Kano, Katsina, Sokoto and Niger Hausa. This lesson follows the Kano standard used by BBC Hausa and in schools.
Ajami. In Ajami the preposition is written تَ (the letter tā' with fatḥa). It has the same spelling as the pronoun ta, so Ajami readers also tell the two apart by position. The examples in this lesson are given in Boko only.
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Ephesians 2:8 (Afisawa 2:8), Littafi Mai Tsarki, Sabon Rai Don Kowa, the Hausa Bible (© 2009, 2020 Biblica, open edition).
"For by grace you have been saved through faith." Where English uses two prepositions, by grace and through faith, this Hausa translation uses ta wurin for the grace. For the faith it uses a clause: "when you believed".
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Allah God ya he-has cece saved ku you ta by wurin place-of alheri grace
F.1b Allah /allah/ God ya /ja/ 3SG.M.PERF cece /tʃetʃe/ save ku /ku/ 2PL.DO ta /ta/ via.PREP wurin /wurin/ place-LNK alheri /alheri/ grace/kindness
F.2a sa'ad time da that kuka you-(when) ba give da with gaskiya truth
F.2b sa'ad /saʔad/ time/when da /da/ REL kuka /kuka/ 2PL.REL.PERF ba /ba/ give da /da/ with.PREP gaskiya /ɡaskija/ truth.F
F.3a Wannan this kuwa moreover ba not yinku your-doing ba not ne it-is
F.3b Wannan /wannan/ this.DEM kuwa /kuwa/ moreover.PTCL ba /ba/ NEG yinku /jinku/ doing-LNK-2PL.POSS ba /ba/ NEG ne /ne/ COP.M
F.4a kyauta gift ce it-is daga from Allah God
F.4b kyauta /kjauta/ gift.F ce /tʃe/ COP.F daga /daɡa/ from.PREP Allah /allah/ God
F-B: Original → Translation
Allah ya cece ku ta wurin alheri sa'ad da kuka ba da gaskiya. Wannan kuwa ba yinku ba ne, kyauta ce daga Allah.
→ "God saved you by grace when you believed. And this is not your own doing; it is a gift from God."
F-C: Original Only
Allah ya cece ku ta wurin alheri sa'ad da kuka ba da gaskiya. Wannan kuwa ba yinku ba ne, kyauta ce daga Allah.
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
- ta wurin alheri "by grace", literally "by the place of kindness". Ta wurin is the formal counterpart of ta hanyar: grace is the way along which the saving comes. - The active voice. The Greek and English are passive ("you have been saved"). The Hausa translator makes God the subject: Allah ya cece ku "God saved you". This is Section D, rule 7, in practice. Hausa prefers to name the doer rather than add a "by"-phrase. - ba da gaskiya "believe", literally "give truth (to)", is the standard Hausa expression for religious faith. - sa'ad da kuka … "when you …": after sa'ad da the verb takes the relative perfective kuka, not the plain kun. - ba yinku ba ne "it is not your doing": the negative frame ba … ba encloses the whole predicate, and ne follows the second ba. Yinku is yi "doing" + linker + -ku "your (pl.)". - Compare Matthew 4:4 in the same edition: Ba da abinci kaɗai mutum yake rayuwa ba, "Man does not live by bread alone". There the "by" is da, because bread is what one lives on, not a way one goes through. The two verses together show the division Hausa makes: da for the thing one uses, ta for the way.
The verse shows why a learner cannot translate "by" with a single Hausa word. It also shows the Hausa preference for plain, active clauses joined without heavy subordination.
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Halima sends her cousin Musa a phone message telling him how to reach her house in Kano tomorrow. Directions are the natural home of ta: almost every step says which way to go, which door to use or how to get in touch.
32.16a Barka blessing da with yamma afternoon Musa Musa Ga here-is yadda how za will ka you zo come gidanmu our-house gobe tomorrow
32.16b Barka /barka/ blessing da /da/ with.PREP yamma /jamma/ afternoon Musa /musa/ Musa.NAME Ga /ɡa/ PRESENTATIVE yadda /jadda/ how.REL za /za/ FUT ka /ka/ 2SG.M zo /zo/ come gidanmu /ɡidanmu/ house-LNK-1PL.POSS gobe /ɡobe/ tomorrow.ADV
32.17a Ka you hau board mota car ta by hanyar road-of Zariya Zaria
32.17b Ka /ka/ 2SG.M.SUBJ hau /hau/ mount/board mota /mota/ vehicle.F ta /ta/ via.PREP hanyar /hanjar/ road.F-LNK Zariya /zarija/ Zaria.NAME
32.18a Kada do-not ka you bi follow ta by cikin inside-of gari town akwai there-is cunkoso congestion
32.18b Kada /kada/ NEG.SUBJ ka /ka/ 2SG.M.SUBJ bi /bi/ follow ta /ta/ via.PREP cikin /tʃikin/ inside-LNK gari /ɡari/ town.M akwai /akwai/ EXIST cunkoso /tʃunkoso/ congestion
32.19a Ka you sauka get-off a at kasuwa market ka you wuce pass ta by gaban front-of masallaci mosque
32.19b Ka /ka/ 2SG.M.SUBJ sauka /sauka/ alight a /a/ at.PREP kasuwa /kasuwa/ market.F ka /ka/ 2SG.M.SUBJ wuce /wutʃe/ pass ta /ta/ via.PREP gaban /ɡaban/ front-LNK masallaci /masallatʃi/ mosque.M
32.20a Bayan after masallaci mosque ka you bi follow ta by hagu left
32.20b Bayan /bajan/ after.PREP masallaci /masallatʃi/ mosque.M ka /ka/ 2SG.M.SUBJ bi /bi/ follow ta /ta/ via.PREP hagu /haɡu/ left
32.21a Za will ka you ga see makaranta school ka you bi follow ta by gefen side-of katangarta its-wall
32.21b Za /za/ FUT ka /ka/ 2SG.M ga /ɡa/ see makaranta /makaranta/ school.F ka /ka/ 2SG.M.SUBJ bi /bi/ follow ta /ta/ via.PREP gefen /ɡefen/ side-LNK katangarta /katanɡarta/ wall-LNK-3SG.F.POSS
32.22a Kada do-not ka you shiga enter ta by babbar big ƙofa gate a in rufe closed take it-is
32.22b Kada /kada/ NEG.SUBJ ka /ka/ 2SG.M.SUBJ shiga /ʃiɡa/ enter ta /ta/ via.PREP babbar /babbar/ big.F-LNK ƙofa /kʼofa/ door/gate.F a /a/ STATIVE rufe /rufe/ closed take /take/ 3SG.F.REL.CONT
32.23a Ka you shiga enter ta by ƙofar door-of baya back
32.23b Ka /ka/ 2SG.M.SUBJ shiga /ʃiɡa/ enter ta /ta/ via.PREP ƙofar /kʼofar/ door.F-LNK baya /baja/ back
32.24a Idan if ka you ɓace get-lost ka you kira call ni me ta by waya phone
32.24b Idan /idan/ if.CONJ ka /ka/ 2SG.M.PERF ɓace /ɓatʃe/ get-lost ka /ka/ 2SG.M.SUBJ kira /kira/ call ni /ni/ 1SG.DO ta /ta/ via.PREP waya /waja/ phone
32.25a Ko or kuma else ka you aiko send-here mini to-me da with saƙo message ta by waya phone
32.25b Ko /ko/ or.CONJ kuma /kuma/ also/else.ADV ka /ka/ 2SG.M.SUBJ aiko /aiko/ send.VENT mini /mini/ 1SG.IO da /da/ with.PREP saƙo /sakʼo/ message ta /ta/ via.PREP waya /waja/ phone
32.26a Na I-have aika sent maka to-you da with taswira map ta by hannun hand-of ƙanena my-younger-brother
32.26b Na /na/ 1SG.PERF aika /aika/ send maka /maka/ 2SG.M.IO da /da/ with.PREP taswira /taswira/ map ta /ta/ via.PREP hannun /hannun/ hand-LNK ƙanena /kʼanena/ younger-brother-1SG.POSS
32.27a Kada do-not ka you zo come ta by hanyar road-of Kaduna Kaduna ana one-is gyaranta repairing-it
32.27b Kada /kada/ NEG.SUBJ ka /ka/ 2SG.M.SUBJ zo /zo/ come ta /ta/ via.PREP hanyar /hanjar/ road.F-LNK Kaduna /kaduna/ Kaduna.NAME ana /ana/ IMPERS.CONT gyaranta /ɟaranta/ repair.VN-LNK-3SG.F.DO
32.28a Idan if ka you zo come da with jirgin vessel-of ƙasa land ka you fito come-out ta by babbar big ƙofar gate-of tasha station
32.28b Idan /idan/ if.CONJ ka /ka/ 2SG.M.PERF zo /zo/ come da /da/ with.PREP jirgin /dʒirɡin/ vessel-LNK ƙasa /kʼasa/ land.F ka /ka/ 2SG.M.SUBJ fito /fito/ come-out ta /ta/ via.PREP babbar /babbar/ big.F-LNK ƙofar /kʼofar/ gate.F-LNK tasha /taʃa/ station.F
32.29a Ta by haka thus ba not za will ka you ɓace get-lost ba not
32.29b Ta /ta/ via.PREP haka /haka/ thus.ADV ba /ba/ NEG za /za/ FUT ka /ka/ 2SG.M ɓace /ɓatʃe/ get-lost ba /ba/ NEG
32.30a Sai until gobe tomorrow Ka you biyo come-along ta by nan here ina I-am jiranka waiting-for-you a at ƙofa door
32.30b Sai /sai/ until.PREP gobe /ɡobe/ tomorrow.ADV Ka /ka/ 2SG.M.SUBJ biyo /bijo/ follow.VENT ta /ta/ via.PREP nan /nan/ here.ADV ina /ina/ 1SG.CONT jiranka /dʒiranka/ wait.VN-LNK-2SG.M.DO a /a/ at.PREP ƙofa /kʼofa/ door.F
32.16 Barka da yamma, Musa. Ga yadda za ka zo gidanmu gobe. → "Good afternoon, Musa. Here is how to get to our house tomorrow."
32.17 Ka hau mota ta hanyar Zariya. → "Take a car by the Zaria road."
32.18 Kada ka bi ta cikin gari; akwai cunkoso. → "Don't go through the town; there's heavy traffic."
32.19 Ka sauka a kasuwa, ka wuce ta gaban masallaci. → "Get off at the market and go past the front of the mosque."
32.20 Bayan masallaci, ka bi ta hagu. → "After the mosque, keep to the left."
32.21 Za ka ga makaranta; ka bi ta gefen katangarta. → "You'll see a school; go along beside its wall."
32.22 Kada ka shiga ta babbar ƙofa, a rufe take. → "Don't go in by the main gate; it's closed."
32.23 Ka shiga ta ƙofar baya. → "Come in by the back door."
32.24 Idan ka ɓace, ka kira ni ta waya. → "If you get lost, call me on the phone."
32.25 Ko kuma ka aiko mini da saƙo ta waya. → "Or else send me a message by phone."
32.26 Na aika maka da taswira ta hannun ƙanena. → "I've sent you a map by my younger brother."
32.27 Kada ka zo ta hanyar Kaduna; ana gyaranta. → "Don't come by the Kaduna road; it's being repaired."
32.28 Idan ka zo da jirgin ƙasa, ka fito ta babbar ƙofar tasha. → "If you come by train, come out by the station's main gate."
32.29 Ta haka ba za ka ɓace ba. → "That way you won't get lost."
32.30 Sai gobe! Ka biyo ta nan; ina jiranka a ƙofa. → "Until tomorrow! Come this way; I'll be waiting for you at the door."
32.16 Barka da yamma, Musa. Ga yadda za ka zo gidanmu gobe.
32.17 Ka hau mota ta hanyar Zariya.
32.18 Kada ka bi ta cikin gari; akwai cunkoso.
32.19 Ka sauka a kasuwa, ka wuce ta gaban masallaci.
32.20 Bayan masallaci, ka bi ta hagu.
32.21 Za ka ga makaranta; ka bi ta gefen katangarta.
32.22 Kada ka shiga ta babbar ƙofa, a rufe take.
32.23 Ka shiga ta ƙofar baya.
32.24 Idan ka ɓace, ka kira ni ta waya.
32.25 Ko kuma ka aiko mini da saƙo ta waya.
32.26 Na aika maka da taswira ta hannun ƙanena.
32.27 Kada ka zo ta hanyar Kaduna; ana gyaranta.
32.28 Idan ka zo da jirgin ƙasa, ka fito ta babbar ƙofar tasha.
32.29 Ta haka ba za ka ɓace ba.
32.30 Sai gobe! Ka biyo ta nan; ina jiranka a ƙofa.
- Instructions in the subjunctive. Directions are given with the subjunctive pronoun ka + verb: ka hau, ka sauka, ka wuce, ka bi, ka shiga. A chain of instructions simply repeats ka before each verb (32.19). To a woman the pronoun is ki: ki shiga ta ƙofar baya. - Negative instructions: kada ka … "don't …" (32.18, 32.22, 32.27). Unlike ba … ba, kada needs no closing particle. - The ta-phrases of the route. ta hanyar Zariya (the road taken, 32.17), ta cikin gari (through, 32.18), ta gaban masallaci (past the front, 32.19), ta hagu (the side, 32.20), ta gefen katangarta (along, 32.21), ta babbar ƙofa / ta ƙofar baya (the way in, 32.22, 32.23), ta babbar ƙofar tasha (the way out, 32.28), ta nan (this way, 32.30). - The ta-phrases of means. ta waya (by phone, 32.24, 32.25), ta hannun ƙanena (by the hand of my younger brother, 32.26), ta haka (in this way, thereby, 32.29). - da and ta side by side (32.28). ka zo da jirgin ƙasa "you come by train" (the vehicle: da), ka fito ta babbar ƙofar tasha "you come out by the station's main gate" (the way: ta). - Idan + perfective. Idan ka ɓace "if you get lost" (32.24), idan ka zo "if you come" (32.28): after idan "if" the perfective pronoun is used for a future condition. - The ventive -o. aiko "send (here, to me)" (32.25) and biyo "come along (towards me)" (32.30) end in -o, which points the action towards the speaker. Compare aika "send (away)" (32.26). - Direct object after an indirect object. When the person comes first, the thing sent is introduced by da: ka aiko mini da saƙo (32.25), na aika maka da taswira (32.26). - Stative a rufe. a rufe take "it is closed" (32.22): a + the verb rufe describes a state. The pronoun is feminine (take) because ƙofa is feminine. - Impersonal ana. ana gyaranta "it is being repaired" (literally "one is repairing it", 32.27). Hausa gives no "by whom" here. See Section D, rule 7. - Possessive suffixes. gidanmu "our house" (32.16), katangarta "its (the school's) wall" (32.21), ƙanena "my younger brother" (32.26), jiranka "waiting for you" (32.30).
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- ta /ta/: a short, clipped syllable. It is the same in every use, and the pronoun ta and the linker ta are spelt the same way. Tell them apart by what follows (a noun or place word after the preposition, a verb after the pronoun). - Hooked letters are separate letters of the alphabet and must always be written: ƙ in ƙofa, ƙanena, wasiƙa, saƙo, jirgin ƙasa; ɗ in ɗan kasuwa; ɓ in ɓace. Writing kofa for ƙofa or bace for ɓace is a spelling error. - The linker is written joined to its noun: hanyar, hannun, wurin, ƙofar, gaban, gefen, cikin. Never write hanya-r or hanya r. - Possessive suffixes are written joined: gidanmu, katangarta, jiranka, yinku. - The apostrophe marks the glottal stop: sa'ad (Section F). - c is always /tʃ/ (cikin, cece, cunkoso); j is /dʒ/ (jiya, jirgin); gy is /ɟ/ (gyaranta). - Place names take Hausa spellings: Legas (Lagos), Zariya (Zaria), Kano, Kaduna, Ibadan. - Punctuation. Directions separated by a semicolon or a comma follow English practice (32.18, 32.19). Commands take no special mark.
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