Lokacin da na dawo daga siyayya yau, na ji ƙamshin miya daga ɗakin girki.

When I came back from shopping today, I smelled the aroma of soup from the kitchen.

Breakdown of Lokacin da na dawo daga siyayya yau, na ji ƙamshin miya daga ɗakin girki.

• yau: today
• ɗakin girki: the kitchen
• daga: from
• dawo: to return

Questions & Answers about Lokacin da na dawo daga siyayya yau, na ji ƙamshin miya daga ɗakin girki.

What does lokacin da mean here, and is it always used for “when”?

Lokacin da literally means “the time that/when”.

• lokaci = time
• lokacin = lokaci
  • linking -n → “the time (of)”
• da = here works as a subordinator, roughly “that / when”

So Lokacin da na dawo… = “(At) the time when I came back…” → “When I came back…”

You don’t have to use lokacin every time you say “when”:

• You can say: Da na dawo daga siyayya yau, na ji…
  → “When I came back from shopping today, I smelled…”

Using lokacin da sounds a bit more explicit and slightly more formal/clear, but da alone is also common.

What exactly is the role of da in lokacin da? Isn’t da usually “and / with”?

Yes, da is very flexible in Hausa and has several common uses:

1. “and”:

   • Ali da Aisha = Ali and Aisha

2. “with”:

   • Ina tafiya da kai = I am going with you

3. Subordinator “that / when / if” (as in your sentence):

   • Lokacin da na dawo… = When I came back…
   • Da ka zo, sai ka kira ni. = When/If you come, call me.

In lokacin da, da is not “and” or “with”; it’s a linker introducing a subordinate clause, similar to “when” or “that” in English.