Hausa da joins noun phrases in the sense “and”: shayi da burodi “tea and bread,” Aisha da Bello “Aisha and Bello.” The same form can also mean “with.” With subjects, preverbal grouping plus plural subject–TAM marking gives a strong coordination diagnostic; with postverbal objects, an X da Y string can remain genuinely ambiguous, so context or an explicit tare da phrase may be needed.
All examples are (neutral Nigerian Standard Hausa) unless labelled otherwise. Da is ordinary in conversation and formal writing. This page concentrates on noun-phrase coordination; it does not treat da as a universal translation of English clause-linking and.
Join two nouns with da
Place da between the two coordinated noun phrases. It does not change form for gender or number.
Na sayi shayi da sukari a kasuwa.
I bought tea and sugar at the market.
Maryam ta kawo burodi da ƙwai don karin kumallo.
Maryam brought bread and eggs for breakfast.
Muna koyon karatu da rubutu a ajin.
We are learning reading and writing in the class.
The whole coordinated phrase fills one grammatical position. In the first two examples, both nouns are objects of the same verb. Hausa does not need a separate object marker before the second noun.
Ya wanke kofuna da farantai bayan cin abinci.
He washed the cups and plates after the meal.
Likita ya duba uwar da jaririn ɗaya bayan ɗaya.
The doctor examined the mother and the baby one after the other. (the distributive context favors coordination)
Without ɗaya bayan ɗaya or another clarifying context, Likita ya duba uwar da jaririn can mean either that both were examined or that the mother was examined with the baby present. Likita ya duba uwar tare da jaririn makes the accompanying-participant reading explicit.
Coordinated subjects require plural subject–TAM marking
Two singular noun phrases joined as the subject count as plural. The subject–TAM form is therefore plural: sun in the completive, suna in the continuative, za su in the future.
Aisha da Bello sun iso da wuri.
Aisha and Bello arrived early.
Mahaifiyata da ƙanwata suna girki a ɗakin abinci.
My mother and younger sister are cooking in the kitchen.
Malam Musa da ɗaliban za su ziyarci gidan tarihi gobe.
Malam Musa and the students will visit the museum tomorrow.
The coordinator itself does not trigger an agreement form; the plural reference of the combined subject does. That remains true when both conjuncts are singular.
Kare da mage suna ƙarƙashin bishiyar.
A dog and a cat are under the tree.
Ruwa da wutar lantarki sun dawo da yamma.
The water and electricity came back in the evening.
English sometimes allows notional singular agreement with coordinated abstractions. The learner-safe Hausa pattern is plural agreement when X da Y refers to two coordinated entities.
Coordination and accompaniment are different structures
Compare the position of da Zainab and the agreement on the subject–TAM marker:
Bello da Zainab sun tafi kasuwa.
Bello and Zainab went to the market. (coordinated subject)
Bello ya tafi kasuwa da Zainab.
Bello went to the market with Zainab. (Zainab accompanies Bello)
In the first sentence, Bello da Zainab is one plural subject, so sun appears. In the second, Bello alone controls masculine singular ya; the postverbal phrase da Zainab adds a companion.
The contrast continues in the future:
Halima da Audu za su dawo ranar Litinin.
Halima and Audu will return on Monday. (coordination)
Halima za ta dawo tare da Audu ranar Litinin.
Halima will return together with Audu on Monday. (accompaniment)
This difference can affect the intended commitment. The coordinated version presents both as co-subjects; the comitative version organizes the event around Halima and adds Audu as her companion.
Pronouns after da use independent forms
Whether da coordinates or marks accompaniment, a pronoun after it uses the independent form: ni, kai, ke, shi, ita, mu, ku, su.
Aisha da ni mun shirya ɗakin.
Aisha and I prepared the room.
Kai da ita za ku fara aikin gobe.
You (one male) and she will begin the work tomorrow.
Za mu je tare da su bayan sallar azahar.
We will go together with them after the noon prayer. (accompaniment)
The plural subject–TAM marker agrees with the whole coordinated subject: Aisha da ni mun, kai da ita za ku. Do not use dependent object forms such as ka, ki, ta after da where the independent forms are required.
More than two noun phrases
In a list, Hausa can repeat da before successive items. In careful prose, punctuation helps the reader see the grouping, while spoken rhythm separates the list.
Mun sayi shinkafa da wake da mai.
We bought rice, beans, and oil.
Shugaban makaranta da malamai da iyaye sun halarci taron.
The head of the school, the teachers, and the parents attended the meeting.
For a long written list, commas may separate earlier items and da introduce the last item. The exact editorial punctuation can vary; da remains part of the grammatical coordination.
An tanadi ruwa, abinci, magunguna da barguna.
Water, food, medicines, and blankets were provided. (formal list)
In speech, a final pause can make the last conjunct sound like an addition. That packaging does not alter the noun-phrase syntax.
Da does not automatically coordinate two finite clauses
English uses and between noun phrases and between full clauses. Hausa da is central for noun phrases, but learners should not insert it mechanically between two finite events. Each independent clause has its own subject–TAM marking, and Hausa chooses a linker that matches the semantic relation—or uses well-formed sequencing.
A natural same-subject pair can use sannan “then,” with the second subject–TAM marker present:
Aisha ta sayi shinkafa da wake, sannan ta koma gida.
Aisha bought rice and beans, and then she returned home. (same subject, two clauses)
A different-subject pair can use contrastive/additive kuma, again with full marking:
Aisha ta sayi shinkafa, Bello kuma ya ɗauki mai.
Aisha bought rice, and Bello took the oil. (different subjects, two clauses)
The da in the first sentence joins shinkafa da wake, not the two clauses. Ta begins the second clause after sannan. In the second sentence, Bello ... ya supplies the subject and completive marking of its own clause.
English and also sometimes hides a contrast. Hausa then chooses amma, not noun-phrase da:
Na roƙi Musa ya taimaka, amma bai samu lokaci ba.
I asked Musa to help, but he did not have time.
The failure to answer runs against an expectation created by calling, so amma expresses the relation. Connector choice depends on meaning and TAM structure, not the nearest English word.
Coordination versus ko “or”
Da includes both conjuncts. Ko presents alternatives.
Za ka iya kawo shayi da kofi.
You can bring tea and coffee. (both are included; to one male)
Za ka iya kawo shayi ko kofi.
You can bring tea or coffee. (an alternative; to one male)
The distinction matters in requests and instructions. Choosing only by an English dictionary gloss can change whether one item or both are expected.
Common Mistakes
1. Giving a coordinated subject singular agreement
❌ Aisha da Bello ya iso.
Incorrect—two coordinated people require plural subject–TAM agreement.
✅ Aisha da Bello sun iso.
Aisha and Bello arrived.
2. Confusing coordination with accompaniment
❌ Bello ya tafi taro da Zainab.
Incorrect for the intended meaning ‘Bello and Zainab are equal co-subjects’; this says Bello went with Zainab.
✅ Bello da Zainab sun tafi taro.
Bello and Zainab went to the meeting.
3. Using a dependent pronoun after da
❌ Aisha da ta sun shirya abinci.
Incorrect—ta is not the independent pronoun required after da.
✅ Aisha da ita sun shirya abinci.
Aisha and she prepared the food.
4. Copying English and between two finite clauses
❌ Aisha ta sayi shinkafa da ta koma gida.
Incorrect for two independent sequential events; da is being copied mechanically from English and.
✅ Aisha ta sayi gero, sannan ta koma gida.
Aisha bought millet, and then she returned home.
5. Dropping the second clause’s subject–TAM marker
❌ Aisha ta sayi shinkafa, sannan koma gida.
Incorrect—the second finite clause needs its subject–TAM marking.
✅ Aisha ta sayi shinkafa, sannan ta koma gida.
Aisha bought rice, and then she returned home.
6. Using da when alternatives are intended
❌ Ka kawo shayi da kofi, ɗaya kawai.
Contradictory for the intended choice—da includes both, while ɗaya kawai says only one.
✅ Ka kawo shayi ko kofi, ɗaya kawai.
Bring tea or coffee, only one. (to one male)
Key Takeaways
- Da coordinates noun phrases: shayi da sukari, Aisha da Bello.
- A coordinated subject is plural and takes forms such as sun, suna, and za su.
- X da Y sun... means “X and Y...”; X ya/ta... da Y presents Y as a companion.
- Pronouns after da use independent forms such as ni, kai, ke, ita, and su.
- Do not insert da automatically between two finite clauses; repeat the required subject–TAM marking and choose a linker matching the relation.
- Da includes both conjuncts, whereas ko presents alternatives.
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Start learning Hausa →Related Topics
- da: With, By, and HavingA1 — Use Hausa da for accompaniment, instruments, means, manner, and possession without copying the many unrelated uses of English with and by.
- Pronouns after da: Accompaniment and CoordinationA1 — Choose Hausa independent pronouns after da when expressing ‘with’ or joining people with ‘and,’ then match the resulting subject correctly.
- Agreement with Coordinated NounsA2 — Use plural agreement when two or more Hausa noun phrases joined by da form one subject.
- amma: ButA1 — Link contrasting Hausa clauses with amma while giving each clause its own subject–TAM marking and choosing tense or aspect independently.
- ko: OrA1 — Use ko to coordinate alternatives while distinguishing ordinary disjunction, choice questions, polar questions, and confirmation tags.
- Coordination without an Overt AndA1 — Link closely related Hausa events by juxtaposition while repeating the subject–TAM marking that keeps each event grammatically anchored.