Tana aiki a masana'antu.

Because tana already includes the subject idea she. Hausa often uses these shorter subject forms inside the verb phrase instead of an independent pronoun.

You can use ita for emphasis or contrast, for example: Ita tana aiki = She is working.

Without emphasis, Tana aiki is perfectly normal.

Strictly speaking, aiki is a noun / verbal noun meaning work or working. But in Hausa, verbal nouns are very often used in the predicate, so they function much like English verbs in sentences like this.

So even though English expects a clear verb like work, Hausa can say: tana aiki
literally something like she is in working / she is doing work, but naturally understood as she is working.

Hausa does not need a separate word equivalent to English is in this kind of sentence. The form tana already carries the subject and the present/continuous sense.

So English: She is working

Hausa: Tana aiki

There is no extra is to insert.

Yin aiki is also a common expression meaning to work / working, literally doing work. But tana aiki is also natural and very common.

So:

• Tana aiki = she is working / she works
• Tana yin aiki = she is working / she is doing work

Both are possible, but tana aiki is a very normal everyday way to say it.

A is a preposition. Depending on context, it can mean in, at, to, and sometimes other location-related ideas.

Here it shows place, so: a masana'antu = in factories, at factories, or more broadly in industry

Masana'antu is normally plural. The singular form is masana'anta.

So:

• masana'anta = factory
• masana'antu = factories / industries

In this sentence, it can mean literal factories, but it may also refer more generally to the industrial sector.

The apostrophe in Hausa usually marks a glottal stop: a small catch in the throat. It is not like the English apostrophe of possession.

So masana'antu is pronounced with a slight break before the an part. The apostrophe is part of the spelling of the word.

Hausa does not use articles the same way English does. Very often, a noun appears without a separate word for a/an/the, and the exact meaning is understood from context.

So a masana'antu can be understood as:

• in factories
• in the factories
• in industry

Context tells you which reading is intended.

It can mean either one, depending on context. On its own, tana aiki often suggests a present or ongoing situation, but it can also describe someone's regular work.

So the sentence may be understood as:

• She is working in factories
• She works in factories
• She works in industry

If you want a more clearly habitual meaning like she usually works, Hausa often uses other patterns, such as takan yi aiki ...

A rough English-style guide is:

TAH-nah EYE-kee ah mah-sah-nah-AN-too

In masana'antu, make a slight catch in the throat before AN because of the apostrophe. Hausa spelling is fairly regular, but tones are usually not shown in normal writing.