Learn Hardcore Hausa: Kar ka saka takalma a kan katifata.

To one woman: Kar ki saka takalma a kan katifata.
→ “Don’t put shoes on my mattress.” (speaking to a female)
To more than one person: Kar ku saka takalma a kan katifata.
→ “Don’t (you all) put shoes on my mattress.”

So the pattern is: kar + pronoun + verb

ka = you (sg, male)
ki = you (sg, female)
ku = you (plural)

What is the difference between kar ka and kada ka?

Both kar ka and kada ka mean “don’t (you) …”.

kada is the full form, often considered a bit more formal or careful speech.
kar is a shortened, very common spoken form that is almost always followed by a pronoun: kar ka, kar ki, kar ku, etc.

You can say either:

Kar ka saka takalma a kan katifata.
Kada ka saka takalma a kan katifata.

They mean the same thing here.

Why do we need ka at all? Why not just Kar saka takalma…?

In Hausa, negative commands with kar/kada normally require a subject pronoun:

Kar ka saka… – Don’t (you, sg. male) put…
Kar ki saka… – Don’t (you, sg. female) put…
Kar ku saka… – Don’t (you, pl.) put…

Leaving out the pronoun (Kar saka takalma…) is not normal in standard Hausa.

For positive commands you can often drop the pronoun:

Saka takalma! – Put on shoes!
Ka saka takalma! – (You) put on shoes!

But with kar/kada you keep the pronoun.

What exactly does saka mean here? Is it “put” or “wear”?

saka basically means “to put, insert, or put on (clothes/shoes, etc.)”.

In this sentence:

saka takalma = “put (the) shoes (somewhere)” or “put on shoes”, depending on context.

Because you have a kan katifata (“on my mattress”), it clearly means:

“put (place) shoes on my mattress” rather than “wear shoes on my mattress.”

If you wanted “Don’t get on my mattress with shoes (on your feet),” a more natural Hausa sentence would be something like:

Kar ka hau katifata da takalma.
(“Don’t get on my mattress with shoes [on].”)

Is there any difference between saka takalma and sa takalma?

Both are used, and they overlap a lot in meaning:

sa often means “to put on / wear” (clothes, shoes, a hat, etc.).
saka can mean “to put in/into,” “to insert,” or “to put on.”

With takalma (shoes), you will hear both:

sa takalma – to put on/wear shoes
saka takalma – to put on/wear shoes, or to place shoes somewhere

In this exact sentence, saka is perfectly natural. Using sa instead:

Kar ka sa takalma a kan katifata.

would also be understandable and acceptable.

Is takalma singular or plural? What is the singular form?

takalma is plural and means “shoes.”

The singular is takalmi, which means “a shoe.”

takalmi – one shoe
takalma – shoes (more than one)

So Kar ka saka takalma a kan katifata naturally talks about shoes (plural).

How would I say “Don’t put the shoe on my mattress” (just one shoe)?

You would use the singular takalmi:

Kar ka saka takalmi a kan katifata.

Hausa doesn’t normally use words like “the” or “a/an” as separate articles; context usually tells you which one is meant. So takalmi here can be understood as “a shoe / the shoe” depending on the situation.

What does a kan mean exactly? Why do we have a and kan?

a kan literally means “on (top of)”.

a is a general locative preposition: “in / at / on (in a broad sense).”
kan is a noun meaning “head, top, surface.”

Together, a kan X = “on top of X / on X.”

So a kan katifata = “on my mattress.”

In writing, you may also see akan as one word. In everyday usage, a kan and akan here are effectively the same.

What does katifata mean, and what does the -ta ending do?

The base noun is katifa, which means “mattress” / “foam mattress / bed mattress.”
The ending -ta is a possessive suffix here, meaning “my.”

katifa – mattress
katifata – my mattress

So katifata = “my mattress (my bed).”

Hausa frequently attaches possessive pronouns directly to nouns:

gidana – my house (gida
- -na)
motata – my car (mota
- -ta)
katifata – my mattress (katifa
- -ta)

Could katifata also mean “her mattress”? How would I say “her mattress” instead of “my mattress”?

In many contexts, -ta is indeed used both for “my” and “her”, but the form of the word usually changes slightly for “her.”

Typical patterns you’ll see:

motata – my car
motarta – her car

For katifa, you would usually have:

katifata – my mattress
katifarta – her mattress

So in your sentence, with the meaning already given as “my mattress,” katifata is understood as “my mattress.”
If you definitely wanted “her mattress,” you could say:

Kar ka saka takalma a kan katifarta. – Don’t put shoes on her mattress.
or, using a separate pronoun:
Kar ka saka takalma a kan katifa ta.

How would I say “Don’t put your shoes on my mattress”?

You add a possessive ending to takalma:

Kar ka saka takalmanka a kan katifata.
→ “Don’t put your (sg. male) shoes on my mattress.”

Other variants:

To a female: Kar ki saka takalmanki a kan katifata.
To more than one person: Kar ku saka takalmanku a kan katifata.

Pattern: takalma + possessive suffix

takalmanka – your (sg. male) shoes
takalmanki – your (sg. female) shoes
takalmanku – your (plural) shoes

How strong or polite does this sentence sound in Hausa?

Kar ka saka takalma a kan katifata. is a clear, fairly direct prohibition — like saying “Don’t put shoes on my mattress.”

It’s not automatically rude, but it’s quite firm. To make it softer or more polite, you can add something like don Allah / dan Allah (“please, for God’s sake”):

Don Allah, kar ka saka takalma a kan katifata.
→ “Please don’t put shoes on my mattress.”

Tone of voice and context also matter a lot for how it’s perceived.

Is the word order fixed? Could I move a kan katifata earlier in the sentence?

The most natural word order is:

Kar + pronoun + verb + object + place phrase

So:

Kar ka saka takalma a kan katifata.

You can sometimes move the place phrase earlier for emphasis, but for a learner it’s best to stick to this order. Sentences like:

Kar ka saka a kan katifata takalma.

sound unnatural. Keep:

kar + pronoun (negative command)
verb (saka)
object (takalma)
location (a kan katifata)