Dare da ya gabata, ni na ji sanyi sosai.

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Breakdown of Dare da ya gabata, ni na ji sanyi sosai.

• sosai: very
• dare: the night
• ji: to feel

Questions & Answers about Dare da ya gabata, ni na ji sanyi sosai.

What does Dare da ya gabata literally mean, and why is it usually translated as last night?

Literally, Dare da ya gabata means the night that passed or the night that has passed.

• dare = night
• da = that / which (a linker introducing a clause that describes dare)
• ya gabata = it passed / it has passed

Idiomatic English usually compresses this to last night, because that is how we naturally refer to the night that just passed. Depending on context, Dare da ya gabata can also mean the previous night (not always strictly yesterday night, but usually the most recent past night in the story or situation).

What is the role of da in Dare da ya gabata?

In this sentence, da is a relative linker. It connects a noun with a clause that describes it, somewhat like that or which in English:

• dare da ya gabata ≈ the night that passed

So the structure is:

• dare (night)
• da (that / which)
• ya gabata (it passed)

This pattern is very common in Hausa:

• mutumin da ya zo = the man who came
• motar da ta lalace = the car that broke down