Learn Hardcore Hausa: Na tashi daga katifata da safe ba tare da wahala ba. - I got up from my mattress in the morning without difficulty.

Na tashi daga katifata most naturally means I got up from my mattress (i.e. I stood up / rose from where I was lying).
farka is the verb for to wake up (from sleep).

So:

Na farka da safe – I woke up in the morning (I stopped sleeping).
Na tashi daga katifata da safe – I got up from my mattress in the morning (I physically got up after waking).

In everyday speech, people sometimes use tashi loosely for waking up, but the more precise contrast is as above.

What does daga mean in daga katifata? Is it always “from”?

Yes, daga is a preposition that usually means from (indicating origin, starting point, or separation).

In this sentence:

daga katifata = from my mattress

Other examples:

Na fito daga gida – I came out from the house.
Muna tafiya daga Kano zuwa Abuja – We are travelling from Kano to Abuja.

How is katifata formed? Why is it one word and not katifa ta?

katifata is a possessed noun form:

katifa – mattress (a feminine noun)
-ta – my (1st person singular possessive suffix for many feminine nouns)

So katifata = katifa + -ta = my mattress.

A useful detail:

For many feminine nouns ending in -a, -ta = my.
her (3rd person feminine) is typically -rta or -nta, e.g.
- uwata – my mother
- uwarta / uwanta – her mother
- katifata – my mattress
- katifarta – her mattress

In writing, you will often see the my form (…ta) and her form (…rta / …nta) distinguished by that extra r or n.

Can da safe be translated literally? What does it consist of?

da safe is a common time expression meaning in the morning.

Literally:

da – with / at (a very flexible preposition)
safe – morning

So it is something like “with the morning / in the morning”.

Related expressions:

da rana – in the afternoon / during the day
da dare – at night

You can also see safiya for morning, but da safe is extremely common and very natural in everyday speech.

Can I move da safe to another place in the sentence, like at the beginning?

Yes. Time expressions are quite flexible in Hausa.

All of these are acceptable and natural:

Na tashi daga katifata da safe ba tare da wahala ba.
Da safe na tashi daga katifata ba tare da wahala ba.
Na tashi da safe daga katifata ba tare da wahala ba.

Moving da safe changes emphasis slightly (putting more focus on the time) but not the basic meaning.

What does ba tare da … ba mean, and why are there two ba’s?

ba tare da … ba is an idiomatic way to say without.

Breakdown:

tare da – together with / along with
ba … ba – the normal pattern for negation in many Hausa sentences, with ba at the start and ba at (or near) the end.

So:

tare da wahala – together with difficulty / with hardship
ba tare da wahala ba – not together with difficulty → without difficulty

The two ba’s are part of the negative frame:

first ba = starts the negation
last ba = closes it

In this expression, you almost always keep both: ba tare da X ba = without X.

Is there a single word for “without”, or do I always need ba tare da … ba?

There is no single preposition that works exactly like English without in all contexts, so ba tare da … ba is the most common and natural equivalent.

Examples:

Na gama aikin ba tare da taimako ba. – I finished the work without help.
Ya yi magana ba tare da tsoro ba. – He spoke without fear.

There are other constructions for specific meanings (e.g. ba shi da … = he does not have …), but for without X (accompanying), ba tare da X ba is the standard pattern.

What does wahala mean here? Is it only “difficulty”?

wahala is a very common Hausa noun with meanings such as:

hardship
difficulty
trouble
inconvenience
suffering

In this sentence, ba tare da wahala ba most naturally means without any trouble / without difficulty.

In other contexts, wahala can be more serious:

Ina cikin wahala sosai. – I am in great hardship.
Kada ka yi min wahala. – Don’t cause me trouble / Don’t bother me.

Why is there no word like any in ba tare da wahala ba, even though in English we say “without any difficulty”?

Hausa often doesn’t need a separate word for any in negative contexts; the negation plus a bare noun can already carry that meaning.

ba tare da wahala ba – literally: not together with difficulty → without (any) difficulty
babu ruwa – there is no water / there isn’t any water

So any is usually implied by the combination of negation + indefinite noun and doesn’t have to be stated separately.

Could I say the same thing more simply, without ba tare da … ba? For example, just Na tashi da safe cikin sauƙi?

Yes, you can express a similar idea in other ways:

Na tashi daga katifata da safe cikin sauƙi. – I got up from my mattress in the morning easily / with ease.

However, ba tare da wahala ba is extremely natural and idiomatic for without difficulty / without trouble.
Your suggested cikin sauƙi (in ease / easily) is also fine, just a different stylistic choice.

How would the sentence change if the subject were he, she, or we instead of I?

You mainly change Na to the appropriate subject + perfective form:

Na tashi daga katifata da safe ba tare da wahala ba.
– I got up from my mattress in the morning without difficulty.
Ya tashi daga katifarsa da safe ba tare da wahala ba.
– He got up from his mattress in the morning without difficulty.
(note katifarsa = his mattress)
Ta tashi daga katifarta da safe ba tare da wahala ba.
– She got up from her mattress in the morning without difficulty.
(katifarta = her mattress)
Mun tashi daga katifarmu da safe ba tare da wahala ba.
– We got up from our mattress(es) in the morning without difficulty.
(mun = we (perfective), katifarmu = our mattress)

Is Na tashi daga katifata da safe ba tare da wahala ba talking about a one‑time event, or a regular habit?

With Na tashi, it is understood as a completed event – usually once or on a particular morning:

Na tashi daga katifata da safe ba tare da wahala ba.
– I got up from my mattress in the morning without difficulty (on that occasion).

To express a habit, you would more likely use ina (or future constructions), for example:

Ina tashi daga katifata da safe ba tare da wahala ba.
– I (usually) get up from my mattress in the morning without difficulty.