Learn Hardcore Hausa: Gobe da asuba zan tafi gari da mota. - Tomorrow at dawn I will go to town by car.

asuba refers to the very early morning / dawn (and also the early-morning Muslim prayer time).
For a more general “tomorrow morning” (not necessarily so early), you often hear:
- gobe da safe = tomorrow morning (more general)
- gobe da sassafe = tomorrow very early in the morning

So gobe da asuba suggests quite an early start.

What does “tafi” mean here, and how is it different from “je”?

Both tafi and je can translate as “to go”, but there is a slight difference in feel:

tafi – “to go, to leave, to depart”
- Focus is a bit more on the act of going / leaving.
- Used very commonly and sounds natural here: zan tafi gari.
je – “to go (to a place)”
- Focus a bit more on the destination.
- You could also say: Gobe da asuba zan je gari.

In everyday speech they overlap a lot, and both versions would typically be understood as “Tomorrow morning I will go to town.”

Does “gari” just mean “town”? Can it also mean “village” or “city”?

gari is a flexible word. Its basic idea is “town / place / settlement”, and in everyday speech it can cover:

a small town
a larger town or city
sometimes even “back home” or “home area” (depending on context)

More specific words:

birni – a big town or city (often more “urban” or “metropolitan” in feel)
kauye – village, rural area

In the sentence Gobe da asuba zan tafi gari da mota, gari is best taken as “(the) town”. Hausa doesn’t mark “the” versus “a” with articles the way English does; gari can mean a town or the town depending on context.

What does the word “da” mean in “da asuba” and in “da mota”? Is it the same “da”?

Yes, it’s the same word da, but it has different functions depending on context:

Time sense (“at/with” a time):
- gobe da asuba → literally “tomorrow with dawn”
  → understood as “tomorrow at dawn / tomorrow early in the morning.”
Instrument / means (“with / by means of”):
- da mota → literally “with a car”
  → understood as “by car / using a car.”

So da is very flexible. Common meanings include “and”, “with”, “at (a time)”, and “using / by means of.”

Why is it “zan tafi gari da mota” and not “zan tafi da mota gari”?

In Hausa, the more natural order is:

Verb + movement (tafi / je)
Destination
Instrument / means

So:

Zan tafi gari da mota.
- Verb: zan tafi
- Destination: gari (to town)
- Means: da mota (by car)

You can see other orders in speech, but zan tafi gari da mota is standard and clearer.
If you want to be more explicit, you might also hear:

Zan tafi zuwa gari da mota. – I will go *to town by car.*

Here zuwa is an explicit “to,” but it isn’t required in the original sentence.

What exactly does “mota” mean? Is it just “car”?

mota is a general word for motor vehicle. Depending on context, it can mean:

car
bus
truck
lorry

In many everyday contexts, mota by itself will be understood as “car”, especially if nothing else is specified, as in zan tafi … da mota. If you need to be specific, you add another word:

motar haya – taxi
motar bas – bus
motar daukar kaya – goods vehicle / truck

How would the sentence change with different subjects like “you”, “he”, or “they”?

The only change is in the fused za + pronoun form at the start. The rest of the sentence stays the same:

Ni (I):
- Zan tafi gari da mota. – I will go to town by car.
Kai (you, masc. sg.):
- Za ka tafi gari da mota. – You (m.) will go to town by car.
Ke (you, fem. sg.):
- Za ki tafi gari da mota. – You (f.) will go to town by car.
Shi (he):
- Zai tafi gari da mota. – He will go to town by car.
Ita (she):
- Za ta tafi gari da mota. – She will go to town by car.
Mu (we):
- Za mu tafi gari da mota. – We will go to town by car.
Ku (you, pl.):
- Za ku tafi gari da mota. – You (pl.) will go to town by car.
Su (they):
- Za su tafi gari da mota. – They will go to town by car.

So the pattern za- + pronoun + tafi is the key.

Is there a non‑future way to say “I’m going to town by car”, like a present or planned action?

Yes. Instead of the future form zan, you can use the progressive (continuous) form with ina:

Ina tafiya gari da mota.
- literally: I am going (on a journey) to town by car.

You can then add the time expression as usual:

Gobe da asuba ina tafiya gari da mota.
- “Tomorrow morning I’m going to town by car.” (sounds like a planned arrangement)

Both:

Gobe da asuba zan tafi gari da mota, and
Gobe da asuba ina tafiya gari da mota

can describe a future plan; the first sounds more like a simple future, the second like a scheduled or arranged trip.

How would I emphasize “by car”, as in “I will go to town BY CAR (not by bus)”?

You can use stress in speech and, in words, add ne/ce for focus:

Gobe da asuba zan tafi gari da mota ne.
- Roughly: “It’s by car that I’ll go to town tomorrow morning.”

If you’re contrasting with something else, you can say:

Ba da bas ba, da mota zan tafi gari.
- “Not by bus; I’ll go to town by car.”

Or more simply in conversation, just stress da mota strongly in your voice.