Na ajiye takalmi na kusa da ƙofa.

I put my shoe near the door.

Breakdown of Na ajiye takalmi na kusa da ƙofa.

• kusa: near
• da: with
• ƙofa: the door
• na: my
• takalmi: the shoe
• ajiye: to put down

Questions & Answers about Na ajiye takalmi na kusa da ƙofa.

What is the word‑for‑word breakdown of Na ajiye takalmi na kusa da ƙofa?

Roughly, each part does this:

• Na – I (1st person singular, perfective aspect: “I did …”)
• ajiye – put down / set / left / kept
• takalmi – shoe
• na – my (possessive: “of me”)
• kusa da – near / close to (literally “near with/to”)
• ƙofa – door

So the structure is: I + put + shoe + my + near to + door → “I put my shoe near the door.”

What exactly does the first na mean? Is it just “I”?

The first na is the 1st‑person singular subject pronoun in the perfective aspect.

• It tells you who did the action: I.
• It also signals that the action is completed (“I put / I have put”).

Compare some other perfective forms:

• Na ajiye takalmi na… – I put / I have put my shoe…
• Ka ajiye… – You (m.) put…
• Ta ajiye… – She put…

If you remove that na, the sentence is ungrammatical; Hausa needs that subject+aspect marker before the verb in this kind of sentence.

Is the second na the same word as the first na, or is it something different?

They are the same basic form, but used in two different grammatical roles:

1. First na (before the verb) – subject pronoun in perfective: “I (did)”.
2. Second na (after the noun) – possessive marker: “my” (“of me”).

So:

• Na ajiye = I (have) put
• takalmi na = my shoe (literally “shoe of me”)

It’s normal in Hausa for na to appear in both positions with different functions.

Why does na for “my” come after takalmi, instead of before like in English?

In Hausa, possessive pronouns usually follow the noun, unlike English.

• English: my shoe
• Hausa: takalmi na (literally “shoe my / shoe of me”)

More examples:

• littafi na – my book
• mota ta – my car (because mota is grammatically feminine)
• gida su – their house

So the pattern is generally:
[thing] + [possessive] → takalmi na (“shoe my”) instead of my shoe.

Can I join takalmi na into one word, like takalmina?

Yes, you will often see (and hear) them joined:

• takalmi na → takalmina

Both ways occur in real life and in writing. Your sentence could also be written:

• Na ajiye takalmina kusa da ƙofa.

For a learner, it’s helpful to remember that it is conceptually “takalmi + na” (“shoe + my”), whether written together or separately.

Does Na ajiye mean “I put”, “I have put”, or “I had put”? How should I think about the tense?

Na ajiye is in the perfective aspect, which mainly says the action is completed. Hausa aspect doesn’t match English tenses 1‑for‑1, so Na ajiye takalmi na kusa da ƙofa can correspond to several natural English options, depending on context:

• “I put my shoe near the door.” (simple past)
• “I have put my shoe near the door.” (present perfect, focusing on the result now)

For a beginner, it is usually safe to think of:

• Na + verb ≈ I did / I have done that verb (completed action).

How would I say “I usually put my shoes near the door” or “I am putting my shoes near the door (right now)”?

To talk about ongoing or habitual actions, Hausa typically uses the imperfective with ina (“I [am/do]”).

Some learner‑friendly patterns are:

• Ina ajiye takalmi na kusa da ƙofa.
  – I (usually) put my shoe near the door. / I’m putting my shoe near the door.

You can add a time word to make the habitual meaning clearer:

• Ina ajiye takalmi na kusa da ƙofa kowace rana.
  – I put my shoe near the door every day.

By contrast:

• Na ajiye… – completed, one‑off (or at least viewed as a finished event).
• Ina ajiye… – ongoing / repeated / characteristic.

Why is kusa da ƙofa (near the door) at the end? Can I move it earlier in the sentence?

The normal word order in Hausa is:

Subject – Verb – Object – (Other information like place/time)

So:

• Na (subject)
• ajiye (verb)
• takalmi na (object: what I put)
• kusa da ƙofa (place phrase: where)

Putting kusa da ƙofa earlier, for example:

• ✗ Na ajiye kusa da ƙofa takalmi na

is unnatural and confusing. In most neutral sentences, location phrases come after the object just as in your example.

What is the role of da in kusa da ƙofa? Why not just kusa ƙofa?

kusa da works as a compound preposition meaning “near / close to”.

• kusa by itself means something like “nearness” / “vicinity / close (by)”.
• da is often used like “with / to” to link it to what it’s near.

So:

• kusa da ƙofa ≈ “near to the door”

Without the da, kusa ƙofa sounds wrong. The da is required in this construction.

Can I (or should I) say a kusa da ƙofa instead of kusa da ƙofa? Is there a difference?

Both patterns occur in Hausa:

• kusa da ƙofa – near the door
• a kusa da ƙofa – (at) near the door

The a is a general preposition meaning roughly “in/at/on”. With kusa da, it’s often optional:

• Na ajiye takalmi na kusa da ƙofa.
• Na ajiye takalmi na a kusa da ƙofa.

In everyday speech, many speakers omit the a, as in your sentence. There’s no big meaning difference here; kusa da ƙofa alone is perfectly fine.

Does takalmi mean one shoe or a pair of shoes? How do I say “shoes” in the plural?

In basic vocabulary:

• takalmi – a shoe (singular)
• takalma – shoes (plural)

So:

• Na ajiye takalmi na kusa da ƙofa.
  – I put my shoe near the door. (could be understood as “shoe(s)” in a loose way, but grammatically singular)

If you clearly want plural:

• Na ajiye takalma na kusa da ƙofa.
  – I put my shoes near the door.

In casual conversation, context sometimes lets takalmi refer to a pair, but as a learner it’s best to remember the singular/plural contrast takalmi / takalma.

How do I pronounce the ƙ in ƙofa, and how is it different from k?

Hausa distinguishes between k and ƙ, and they are different sounds:

• k – a regular voiceless k sound, like k in “cat”.
• ƙ – an implosive k; you make a k‑like closure at the back of the mouth but with a slight inward movement of air and a “tenser” sound.

For ƙofa:

• Say it roughly like “koh‑fa”, but make the k tighter and “popped” slightly inward.

English has no exact equivalent, so many learners start by pronouncing ƙ similar to a strong k, and then refine it as they get more used to listening to native speakers.