Hausa can coordinate whole prepositional phrases: a gida da a ofis “at home and at the office,” daga Kano zuwa Abuja “from Kano to Abuja,” or a gabana ko a bayana “in front of me or behind me.” The central principle is structural: each coordinated part must remain a complete expression of the relation intended there. A shared preposition can sometimes govern coordinated noun phrases, but it cannot be silently stretched across a second conjunct when the relation changes.
This page assumes the individual functions of a “at/in/on” and daga “from/out of”; the focus here is what happens when phrases built with them are joined.
All unlabelled examples are (neutral Nigerian Standard Hausa). Ordinary boko retains ɓ, ɗ, ƙ and apostrophes but does not mark lexical tone or vowel length.
Two complete phrases joined by da
The ordinary coordinator da “and” can join two PPs of equal status. Repeating the preposition makes the parallel structure overt, particularly when each phrase identifies a distinct setting.
An ajiye ƙarin kujeru a harabar makaranta da kuma a bayan babban ɗakin taro.
Extra chairs were placed in the school courtyard and also behind the main hall.
Za a gudanar da gwajin a Kano da kuma a Kaduna.
The examination will be held in Kano and also in Kaduna.
Rahoton ya tattauna matsalar a matakin jiha da kuma a matakin ƙaramar hukuma.
The report discussed the problem at state level and also at local-government level. (formal)
Da kuma makes the addition especially clear and is common in careful speech and (formal) prose. Plain da is enough where the pairing is short and unambiguous. Repetition is not meaningless padding: the second a explicitly locates the second conjunct in the same grammatical relation.
When one preposition has two coordinated noun-phrase complements, it need appear only once:
Muna da rassa a Zariya da Katsina.
We have branches in Zaria and Katsina.
Here a [Zariya da Katsina] can be parsed as one locative PP with coordinated place names. Compare the more emphatically distributive a Zariya da kuma a Katsina, which profiles two separate locations. Both can be natural; choose repetition when the separate settings matter or a long conjunct might obscure the structure.
Different prepositions must remain visible
When the relations differ, each conjunct needs its own marker. A source, path, destination, instrument, or beneficiary cannot inherit an unrelated preposition from the first conjunct.
Motar ta taso daga Sokoto zuwa Gusau da sassafe.
The vehicle travelled from Sokoto to Gusau early in the morning.
Baƙin sun yi tafiya da jirgin ƙasa sannan da mota zuwa ƙauyen.
The visitors travelled by train and then by car to the village.
An raba kayan ga asibitoci da kuma ga cibiyoyin lafiya na karkara.
The supplies were distributed to hospitals and also to rural health centres. (formal)
The paired frame daga X zuwa Y is not ordinary “and” coordination: its two phrases jointly trace an ordered path from source to goal. English often packages the same route with from ... to ..., but Hausa still requires both relational words. In the final example, repeating ga prevents the long second noun phrase from being mistaken for a simple nominal addition to asibitoci.
With da as an instrumental preposition and da as the coordinator, identical forms can occur close together:
Ta gyara akwatin da guduma da kuma da sukurori sababbi.
She repaired the box with a hammer and also with new screws.
The first and final da introduce instruments; the middle da kuma coordinates the two instrument phrases. This repetition is grammatical, although speakers may recast a heavy sentence to make it easier to process.
Alternatives with ko
Ko coordinates alternatives. As with da, it can join noun phrases under one shared preposition or two full PPs.
Za mu haɗu a ofis ko a gidan cin abinci kusa da banki.
We will meet at the office or at the restaurant near the bank.
Ki aiko takardar ta imel ko ta manhajar saƙo.
Send the document by email or through the messaging app. (addressing one female)
Kana son ka zauna a gabana ko a bayana?
Do you want to sit in front of me or behind me? (addressing one male)
The last example supplies the required pronoun complements through possessive suffixes: gabana, bayana. Relational nouns do not take independent ni after them. With other persons use forms such as gabanka, bayanki, gabansa, bayanta, and bayansu.
If only the noun phrase varies, one preposition can scope over both choices:
Za ka same shi a ɗakin taro ko ofishin shugaban.
You will find him in the meeting room or the director's office. (addressing one male)
Repeating a—a ɗakin taro ko a ofishin shugaban—is also possible and makes the two alternatives more balanced. Do not infer from English punctuation that one structure is obligatory.
Coordinating noun-based spatial frames
Many Hausa spatial expressions contain a relational noun plus a genitive linker: gaban gida “in front of the house,” bayan shago “behind a shop,” cikin akwati “inside a box,” kan teburi “on a table.” Coordination preserves that internal frame.
Yaran sun duba cikin rumbun da kuma bayan tsohuwar rumfar, amma ba su ga akuyar ba.
The children looked inside the storehouse and behind the old shelter, but they did not see the goat.
An dasa furanni a gaban ofishin da gefen hanyar shiga.
Flowers were planted in front of the office and beside the entrance road.
The linked forms gaban and gefen already express “the front of” and “the side of.” Their complements are ordinary noun phrases, not independent English-style objects added after an invariant preposition. Pronominal landmarks consequently use suffixed forms:
Aisha ta zauna a tsakaninsu da kuma kusa da ni domin ta ji duka ɓangarorin.
Aisha sat between them and also near me so that she could hear both sides.
Tsakaninsu contains plural suffix -su, whereas kusa da ni uses independent ni because kusa da ends in free prepositional da. Coordination does not erase this contrast.
Physical and abstract conjuncts
Coordinated PPs need not both describe visible geometry, provided the intended comparison is coherent. Spatial frames often extend to time, institutional level, subject matter, or authority.
Mun yi magana a gaban iyayen da kuma a gaban kwamitin makaranta.
We spoke before the parents and also before the school committee.
The first a gaban can evoke physical presence; the second may also denote appearing before an institution in an official setting. The common “front/presence” frame supports both.
Za a duba ƙorafin a ƙarƙashin dokar jiha da kuma bisa ƙa'idar hukumar.
The complaint will be considered under state law and also in accordance with the agency's regulation. (formal)
Here a ƙarƙashin presents the law as an overarching authority, while bisa presents the regulation as a basis or standard. They are near in this legal context but not interchangeable everywhere. Compare:
Ma'aikatan suna aiki a ƙarƙashin sabon darakta.
The employees work under a new director.
Ma'aikatan suna aiki bisa sabon tsarin da hukumar ta amince da shi.
The employees work according to the new system approved by the agency.
This minimal pair forces the choice: a director stands in a superior authority relation, so a ƙarƙashin is natural; a plan supplies the basis or standard, so bisa is natural. English under can translate both in some contexts, but the Hausa geometry is more precise.
Position and scope
A coordinated PP normally occupies one adjunct or complement position in the clause. If it modifies the whole event, keep the pair together rather than leaving one conjunct where its attachment is unclear.
An tattauna kasafin kuɗin a taron jiya da kuma a zaman majalisa na yau.
The budget was discussed at yesterday's meeting and also at today's legislative sitting. (formal)
Bello yana aiki a asibiti da kuma a wata cibiyar bincike a ƙarshen mako.
Bello works at a hospital and also at a research centre at weekends.
In a locative continuative predicate, Hausa does not require an extra equivalent of English at/in before every relational expression. Say yana bayan ofis da kuma kusa da ƙofa, not an English-shaped structure with superfluous a before bare predicate complements.
Common Mistakes
1. Deleting a marker when the relation changes
❌ Motar ta taso daga Sokoto Gusau.
Incorrect — source daga cannot also mark the destination.
✅ Motar ta taso daga Sokoto zuwa Gusau.
The vehicle travelled from Sokoto to Gusau.
2. Using an independent pronoun after a bound relational form
❌ Ka zauna a gabana ko a bayan ni.
Incorrect — bayan takes a possessive suffix here.
✅ Ka zauna a gabana ko a bayana.
Sit in front of me or behind me. (addressing one male)
3. Extending one English preposition over unlike Hausa relations
❌ An duba ƙorafin a ƙarƙashin dokar da sabon tsari.
Incorrect for 'under the law and according to the new system'; the second relation needs its own frame.
✅ An duba ƙorafin a ƙarƙashin dokar da kuma bisa sabon tsari.
The complaint was considered under the law and according to the new system.
4. Adding a before a direct relational predicate
❌ Motocin suna a bayan ofis da kuma a kusa da ƙofa.
Avoid these extra English-shaped locative markers in the neutral direct predicate.
✅ Motocin suna bayan ofis da kuma kusa da ƙofa.
The vehicles are behind the office and also near the door.
5. Confusing the coordinator da with instrumental da
❌ Ta tafi da Amina da mota, don haka Amina ce motar.
Incorrect interpretation — the two da phrases have different roles.
✅ Ta tafi da Amina da mota: Amina abokiyar tafiya ce, mota kuma hanyar tafiya ce.
She travelled with Amina by car: Amina is the companion, while the car is the means of travel.
Key Takeaways
- Coordinate complete PPs with da, emphatic da kuma, or alternative ko.
- One preposition may govern coordinated nouns, but repeat it to foreground distinct settings or prevent ambiguity.
- Different relations require different markers: daga X zuwa Y, a ƙarƙashin X ... bisa Y.
- Relational nouns keep their own possessive grammar: gabana, bayanta, tsakaninsu.
- After free da, use an independent pronoun: kusa da ni, not a suffixed landmark form.
- In direct locative predicates, do not insert extra a merely because English uses at or in.
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.
- a: At, In, and OnA1 — Use Hausa a to place events and entities in a spatial, temporal, or abstract domain, adding relational nouns when exact geometry matters.
- daga: From and Out OfA1 — Use Hausa daga for spatial, temporal, and abstract sources, with cikin, wuri, or gare when the source relation needs to be made explicit.
- gaban: In Front Of and BeforeA2 — Use gaban for a front-facing region, pronominal gabana-type forms, public presence, and the related ideas of what lies ahead or prior.
- tsakanin: Between and AmongA2 — Use tsakanin for an interval or relationship defined by two or more reference points, with suffixed forms for pronominal participants.
- Alternative Questions with koA1 — Use syntactic ko to offer genuine alternatives and distinguish choice questions from polar ko, tags, and lexicalized ko-words.