Learn Hardcore Hausa: A jaka ta ina ɗauke da ƙamus na Hausa da Turanci. - In my bag I carry my Hausa

A cikin jaka ta – literally “in the inside of my bag,” a bit more explicit.
Both A jaka ta and A cikin jaka ta are correct. A cikin is slightly more formal/explicit; plain A is very common in everyday speech.

Why is it jaka ta for “my bag” and not jakata as one word?

Hausa allows two very common ways to show possession:

Separated form (more common in speech and many texts):
- jaka ta – bag my → “my bag”
Joined form (also correct, looks a bit more compact/written):
- jakata – the possessive pronoun is attached to the noun

So jaka ta and jakata both mean “my bag.” In this sentence, the writer chose the separated form.

Why is the possessive pronoun ta used with jaka, and when would I use na instead?

Hausa nouns have grammatical gender, and jaka (“bag”) is feminine. The possessive pronoun agrees with the noun’s gender:

Masculine noun + “my” → na
- littafi na = my book
Feminine noun + “my” → ta
- jaka ta = my bag

So you use ta here because jaka is feminine. With a masculine noun, you’d say na.

What exactly does ina ɗauke da mean, and how is it different from just ina da?

ina ɗauke da literally means “am carrying with” or “am bearing with me” and is often used for things you physically have on you or in something you’re carrying (like a bag, pocket, car, etc.).

Compare:

Ina da ƙamus. – “I have a dictionary.” (general possession, it’s yours)
Ina ɗauke da ƙamus. – “I am carrying a dictionary / I have a dictionary on me.” (you are currently carrying it)

In this sentence, ina ɗauke da ƙamus focuses on having the dictionary with you (in your bag) right now, not just owning one in general.

Who is the subject in A jaka ta ina ɗauke da ƙamus… – the bag or “I”?

The subject is “I”, which is built into ina:

ina = “I am” (progressive/continuous form)
ɗauke da ƙamus = “carrying a dictionary”

So the structure is:

A jaka ta, – “In my bag,” (prepositional phrase)
ina ɗauke da ƙamus… – “I am carrying a dictionary…”

It does not mean “My bag is carrying…”, but rather “In my bag, I am carrying… / I have … in my bag.”

Could I change the word order and say Ina ɗauke da ƙamus a jakata instead? Is that still correct?

Yes, that is correct and natural:

Ina ɗauke da ƙamus a jakata. – “I am carrying a dictionary in my bag.”

Differences are mainly in focus:

A jaka ta, ina ɗauke da ƙamus… highlights the location (“In my bag…”).
Ina ɗauke da ƙamus a jakata. starts with “I am carrying…” and adds the location later.

Both are fine; Hausa allows this kind of reordering for emphasis.

What does ɗauke da literally come from, and can I use it with other things besides dictionaries?

ɗauke da comes from the verb ɗauka (“to lift, pick up, carry”) plus da (“with”). Together they form an idiom:

ɗauke da = “to be carrying / bearing / having with you”

You can use it with many nouns:

Ina ɗauke da jakar makaranta. – I’m carrying a school bag.
Motar nan tana ɗauke da kaya. – That car is carrying goods.
Yana ɗauke da wayar salula. – He is carrying a mobile phone.

So it’s a general expression for physically having something with you/on you/in what you’re carrying.

What does ƙamus na Hausa da Turanci mean exactly? Does it mean a bilingual dictionary?

Yes. ƙamus na Hausa da Turanci means a Hausa–English (bilingual) dictionary.

Breakdown:

ƙamus – dictionary
na – linker meaning “of”
Hausa da Turanci – “Hausa and English”

So ƙamus na Hausa da Turanci = “dictionary of Hausa and English,” i.e. a dictionary that deals with those two languages (usually Hausa–English or English–Hausa, depending on the context/title).

Why is there a na in ƙamus na Hausa da Turanci? Could I just say ƙamus Hausa da Turanci?

In Hausa, na/ta often functions as a genitive linker meaning “of” or linking one noun to another:

ƙamus na Hausa – “dictionary of Hausa / Hausa dictionary”
littafin yara or littafi na yara – children’s book / book of children

ƙamus Hausa da Turanci might be understood, but it sounds less natural and is missing the usual linker. ƙamus na Hausa da Turanci is the standard, clear way to express “a Hausa and English dictionary.”

Does Turanci mean “Turkish,” or is it really “English”? Why that word?

In Hausa, Turanci actually means “English (language)”, not Turkish.

Turanci – English
Hausa – Hausa
Faransanci – French
Jamusanci – German

Historically, Turanci is related to Turai (“Europe”) and Bature/Turawa (Europeans/white people). Over time, Turanci became the standard word for English because English was the dominant European language in the region. So don’t be misled by how it looks; in Hausa, it means English.

Are Hausa and Turanci normally capitalized in Hausa writing?

Usage varies, but in many modern texts:

Names of languages and peoples can be either capitalized or not, depending on the style guide and how formal the writing is.

You will see:

ƙamus na Hausa da Turanci
or ƙamus na hausa da turanci

Both appear in real texts. In careful or academic writing, capitalization is more common; in casual writing, lowercase is very frequent.

How are the special letters ƙ and ɗ pronounced in ƙamus and ɗauke?

These letters represent sounds that are different from plain k and d:

ƙ – an implosive / ejective k-like sound. It’s made with more tension than plain k. Many learners approximate it as a strong k, but native speakers do distinguish k vs ƙ.
ɗ – an implosive “d” sound, produced with a slight inward airflow. It’s not the same as English d, but learners often pronounce it close to d at first.

For understanding, if you pronounce them like normal k and d, people will usually still understand you, but it’s good to know they are distinct phonemes in Hausa.