Hausa da can coordinate two participants as “and” or introduce an accompanying participant as “with.” When a pronoun follows da in either use, Hausa normally chooses the independent series: da ni, da kai, da ke, da shi, da ita, da mu, da ku, da su. This is one place where translating English me, him, or her by an object pronoun produces the wrong Hausa form.
All unlabelled examples are (neutral Nigerian Standard Hausa). The expanded accompaniment expression tare da “together with” is also neutral and often makes the intended meaning especially clear. The complete forms are introduced on the independent-pronoun paradigm page.
The forms after da
| Person | Independent pronoun | After da |
|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | ni | da ni |
| 2nd masculine singular | kai | da kai |
| 2nd feminine singular | ke | da ke |
| 3rd masculine singular | shi | da shi |
| 3rd feminine singular | ita | da ita |
| 1st plural | mu | da mu |
| 2nd plural | ku | da ku |
| 3rd plural | su | da su |
Zan tafi kasuwa da kai.
I will go to the market with you. (addressing a male)
Zan je asibiti tare da ke.
I will go to the hospital with you. (addressing a female)
Ta zo taron da shi.
She came to the meeting with him.
Ya dawo gida tare da ita.
He returned home with her.
Za su ci abincin dare da mu.
They will eat dinner with us.
Ina so in tattauna batun da ku.
I want to discuss the matter with you all.
Mun zauna tare da su har yamma.
We stayed with them until evening.
Tare da emphasizes togetherness, but simple da is sufficient in many ordinary contexts. The governing expression and context determine whether English prefers “with,” “to,” or another natural rendering: tattauna da ku is “discuss with you.”
Why these are not ordinary direct-object pronouns
Compare feminine singular ita after da with direct-object ta after a verb:
Musa ya gan ta a tashar.
Musa saw her at the station.
Musa ya jira tare da ita a tashar.
Musa waited with her at the station.
The verb gan selects its direct object ta. The preposition/coordinator da selects independent ita. A similar contrast appears in the masculine singular:
Na kira shi da safe.
I called him this morning.
Na yi magana da shi da safe.
I spoke with him this morning.
English has separate he/him forms but still uses him both as object and after with. Hausa draws its boundary elsewhere: direct object shi, but da shi after the preposition.
Da as “and”: forming a coordinated subject
When da joins people into one subject, the whole coordination is plural. The clause therefore takes a plural subject–TAM marker.
Ni da Amina mun gama aikin.
Amina and I finished the work.
Kai da Musa kun zo da wuri.
You and Musa arrived early. (addressing a male)
Ke da Hauwa za ku shirya abincin?
Will you and Hauwa prepare the food? (addressing a female)
Shi da matarsa sun koma Kano.
He and his wife moved back to Kano.
Ita da ƙanwarta suna aiki tare.
She and her younger sister work together.
The agreement reflects the persons included. A coordination containing the speaker selects first-person plural mun/muna/za mu. One containing the addressee but not the speaker selects second-person plural kun/kuna/za ku. Two third-person participants select sun/suna/za su.
| Coordinated subject | Person of whole subject | Completive |
|---|---|---|
| ni da Amina | 1st plural | mun |
| kai da Musa | 2nd plural | kun |
| ita da Musa | 3rd plural | sun |
Ni da kai za mu haɗu a ƙofar banki.
You and I will meet at the bank entrance. (addressing a male)
Ke da ni za mu iya kammala shi yau.
You and I can finish it today. (addressing a female)
Neither ni nor kai/ke by itself is the subject of these sentences. The entire coordinated phrase is, and the marker is correspondingly plural.
Subject coordination versus accompaniment
The same word da can create different structures. Position and agreement make the difference clear.
Musa da ita sun zo tare.
Musa and she came together. (coordinated plural subject)
Musa ya zo da ita.
Musa came with her. (Musa is the singular subject)
In the first sentence, Musa da ita comes before plural sun. Both participants form the grammatical subject. In the second, singular masculine ya agrees with Musa; da ita is an accompaniment phrase after the verb.
Aisha da shi suna jiran mota.
Aisha and he are waiting for a vehicle.
Aisha tana jiran mota tare da shi.
Aisha is waiting for a vehicle with him.
The real-world scene can be nearly identical. Grammar packages the second participant either as an equal co-subject or as an accompanier.
Overt subjects still require their markers
A coordinated phrase does not eliminate the preverbal marker any more than a single noun does.
Musa da Amina sun sayi sabuwar mota.
Musa and Amina bought a new car.
Here sun is required. Likewise, a single overt noun needs a singular marker:
Amina ta sayi sabuwar waya.
Amina bought a new phone.
English puts tense on bought and no agreement element between the subject and verb. Hausa uses ta/sun to combine agreement with the completed-event category.
Coordination in conversation
A: Wa zai je taron? B: Ni da Kabiru za mu je. A: Za ku tafi da Hauwa? B: Eh, za mu tafi tare da ita.
A: Who will go to the meeting? B: Kabiru and I will go. A: Will you go with Hauwa? B: Yes, we will go with her.
The first da coordinates ni and Kabiru into a first-person plural subject. The later da ita introduces Hauwa as an accompanying participant.
Practice: read agreement as a structural clue
Ku da su kun amince da shirin.
You and they agreed to the plan.
Su da maƙwabtansu sun gyara hanyar.
They and their neighbors repaired the road.
Za mu zo da su bayan sallar la’asar.
We will come with them after the afternoon prayer.
In the first sentence the subject includes the addressees and is therefore second-person plural kun. In the second it is entirely third person, so sun appears. In the third, mu alone controls first-person plural za mu; da su follows the verb as accompaniment.
Common Mistakes
1. Using a direct-object form after da.
❌ Ya zo da ta.
Incorrect — after da, use independent ita, not direct-object ta.
✅ Ya zo da ita.
He came with her.
2. Ignoring the addressee's gender.
❌ Zan je da kai.
Incorrect when speaking to a woman — kai is masculine singular.
✅ Zan je da ke.
I will go with you. (addressing a female)
3. Giving a coordinated subject singular agreement.
❌ Musa da Amina ya zo.
Incorrect — the two coordinated people form a plural subject.
✅ Musa da Amina sun zo.
Musa and Amina came.
4. Dropping the subject–TAM marker.
❌ Ni da Amina gama aikin.
Incorrect — an overt coordinated subject still requires its marker.
✅ Ni da Amina mun kammala aikin.
Amina and I completed the work.
5. Confusing co-subject and accompanier structures.
❌ Musa da ita ya zo.
Incorrect for a coordinated subject — ya is singular.
✅ Musa da ita sun zo.
Musa and she came.
Key Takeaways
- After da, use ni, kai, ke, shi, ita, mu, ku, su.
- Direct-object ta contrasts with accompaniment da ita; the grammatical environment selects the series.
- A coordinated subject is plural: ni da Amina mun…, kai da Musa kun…, ita da Musa sun….
- Musa da ita sun zo has two co-subjects; Musa ya zo da ita has one subject plus an accompanier.
- Names and coordinated noun phrases do not replace Hausa subject–TAM markers.
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Start learning Hausa →Related Topics
- Independent Pronouns: Full ParadigmA1 — Learn the eight free personal-pronoun forms and distinguish them from Hausa subject–TAM, object, indirect-object, and possessive forms.
- Independent Pronouns for Contrastive FocusA1 — Use Hausa independent pronouns to identify, correct, or contrast the person responsible for an action without losing the required subject–TAM marker.
- mu, ku, and su: Plural PersonsA1 — Distinguish independent mu, ku, and su from the plural subject–TAM, object, recipient, and possessive forms used elsewhere in the clause.
- Direct-Object Pronouns: Core ParadigmA2 — Learn Hausa ni, ka, ki, shi, ta, mu, ku, and su as direct objects and keep them distinct from independent, subject–TAM, indirect-object, and possessive forms.
- Why Hausa Requires a Subject–TAM MarkerA2 — Understand the preverbal Hausa forms that jointly express subject agreement and tense, aspect, or mood, even when a full noun names the subject.