Learn Hardcore Hausa: Jaka ta tana ɗauke da littafi da alƙalami.

tana = she/it (feminine) is (progressive/continuous aspect)
ɗauke da = literally “carrying with”, but together with tana it means “is carrying / is loaded with / has on it”.

So tana ɗauke da littafi da alƙalami = “it (the bag) is carrying a book and a pen / it has a book and a pen in it (right now)”.

Why do we have both ta and tana? Aren’t we saying “she” twice?

They are two different ta’s with different jobs:

ta (right after jaka)
- This is a possessive pronoun: “her”.
- jaka ta ≈ “her bag”.
tana
- This is the subject pronoun + aspect marker: “she/it (feminine) is …-ing”.
- It tells you what the subject (the bag) is doing: “is carrying”.

So structurally you have:

Jaka ta = her bag
tana ɗauke da littafi da alƙalami = is carrying a book and a pen

Together: “Her bag is carrying a book and a pen.”

Why is the bag treated as feminine (with ta / tana)?

In Hausa, every noun is grammatically masculine or feminine, and this affects pronouns and agreement, even for things that are not people.

jaka (bag) is a feminine noun.
Feminine 3rd person subject uses ta / tana.
Masculine 3rd person subject would use ya / yana.

So:

Jaka ta tana ɗauke da … = Her bag (feminine) is carrying …
If it were a masculine noun (e.g. littafi “book”):
Littafi nasa yana ɗauke da alƙalami. = His book is carrying a pen.

In English, bag is “it” (no gender), but Hausa forces you to pick masculine or feminine, and jaka happens to be feminine.

What is ɗauke? Why not ɗauka?

The base verb is ɗauka = “to take, pick up, carry”.
ɗauke here is a verbal adjective / participle-like form, often used with tana / yana to express a state of carrying/holding.

Compare:

Ta ɗauki littafi. = She took / picked up a book. (simple action)
Tana ɗauke da littafi. = She is carrying a book / She has a book on her. (ongoing state)

So tana ɗauke da is closer to “is in a state of carrying/loaded with” than a simple, one-time action.

Is the da after ɗauke the same as the da between littafi da alƙalami?

They look the same, but they play slightly different roles:

ɗauke da X
- Here da is like “with”:
  tana ɗauke da littafi = it is carrying *with it a book / it is loaded with a book.*
littafi da alƙalami
- Here da is the coordinating conjunction “and”:
  littafi da alƙalami = a book *and a pen*.

So in ɗauke da littafi da alƙalami, you can hear both uses:

ɗauke da (with) littafi da (and) alƙalami.

Could I just say Jaka tana ɗauke da littafi da alƙalami without ta? What would change?

Yes, you can say Jaka tana ɗauke da littafi da alƙalami, and it is perfectly grammatical, but the meaning shifts:

Jaka ta tana ɗauke da … = Her bag is carrying … (possessor is specified: “her”)
Jaka tana ɗauke da … = The bag is carrying … (we don’t know whose bag; it’s just “the bag”)

The ta after jaka is the only thing that tells you it is her bag.
If you drop ta, you lose the “her” meaning.

Can we put ta before jaka, like in English “her bag” → ta jaka?

No. In Hausa, possessive pronouns usually come after the noun, not before it.

English: her bag
Hausa: jaka ta (literally “bag her”)

Other examples:

gida na = my house
motarka / mota ka (colloquial writing) = your car
littafinsa / littafi nasa = his book
jaka ta / jakarta = her bag

So ta jaka is not how possession is normally expressed. You say jaka ta.

How else could I express “has” here? What’s the difference between tana ɗauke da and tana da?

Both can translate as “has”, but they feel different:

tana da
- General possession / ownership / availability.
- Jakarta tana da littafi.
  = Her bag has a book (in it) / contains a book.
  Could be more neutral or permanent.
tana ɗauke da
- Emphasizes carrying / bearing / loaded with something right now.
- Often implies the thing is physically on/in the subject at the moment.
- Jakarta tana ɗauke da littafi.
  = Her bag is carrying a book / is loaded with a book (right now).

In your sentence, tana ɗauke da fits well because a bag carries things.

Why is it sometimes written jaka ta, sometimes jakar ta, and sometimes jakarta?

This is largely about orthography and level of formality, not big meaning differences:

jaka ta
- Very transparent for learners: jaka
  - ta = bag + her.
jakar ta
- Adds the linking consonant -r, which often appears between a noun and something that follows (like a possessor or adjective).
- More careful/standard: jaka-r ta.
jakarta
- Everything written together, with the r and the pronoun attached.
- Very common in everyday Hausa spelling: jakarta = her bag.

All three point to the same structure: “bag (feminine) + her”. In natural, fluent Hausa writing you’ll often see jakarta.

How would I say “his bag is carrying a book and a pen” instead?

You need to change only the possessive pronoun (and often its attached form):

Jakar sa tana ɗauke da littafi da alƙalami.
or (more tightly written)
Jakatarsa tana ɗauke da littafi da alƙalami.

Breakdown:

jaka = bag (feminine noun)
-r sa / -rsa = his → jaka + r + sa = jakatarsa = his bag
tana ɗauke da littafi da alƙalami = is carrying a book and a pen

Note the subject pronoun tana stays feminine, because the bag (jaka) is feminine, even though the owner is “he”.

How do I pronounce the special letters ɗ and ƙ in ɗauke and alƙalami?

These are implosive / ejective consonants that don’t exist in standard English:

ɗ
- Written as a hooked d.
- It’s an implosive “d”: you pull a bit of air inward as you make the d sound.
- Roughly between d and a very soft “dl”, but with a “swallowed” quality.
ƙ
- Written as a hooked k.
- It’s an ejective “k”: pronounced with a sharper, more forceful burst than an English k, a bit like a “k!” with a little pop.

For learners, it’s acceptable at first to pronounce:

ɗauke roughly like “dauke”,
alƙalami roughly like “alkalami”,

but native speakers do hear a difference, and practicing ɗ and ƙ will make your Hausa sound more natural.