da
And or with
Da can join participants into a group or introduce an accompanying participant.
How It Works
Between noun phrases, da can join people or things. Two named people joined as a subject form a plural group and take plural subject marking. As a preposition, da introduces accompaniment. Compare Amina da Musa sun zo ‘Amina and Musa came’ with Amina ta zo da Musa ‘Amina came with Musa’: the second clause has a singular subject.
A pronoun after prepositional da uses the independent set, including ita ‘her’. Possession instead combines continuative subject marking with da, as in Tana da littafi ‘She has a book’. Some causative constructions also introduce objects with da. Successive actions translated with English ‘and’ require their own subject marking; inserting da between verbs is not a general action-sequencing rule.
Examples (3)
- Amina da Musa sun zo.
Amina and Musa came.
The coordinated subject takes plural sun.
- Na zo da Amina.
I came with Amina.
Da introduces an accompanying person.
- Mun tafi da ita.
We went with her.
The preposition takes independent ita.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Recognize agreeing completed-event subjects and inherited independent pronouns before contrasting two coordinated actors with one actor accompanied by another person.
Related Patterns
- ni / kai / ke / shi / itaIndependent Singular Pronouns
Supplies independent singular pronouns used after prepositional da.
Level 1 - daHaving Something
Develops the continuative frame expressing possession.
Level 2 - kumaAdding Another Point
Adds a further statement or discourse point.
Level 2 - Causing or Directing an Action
Explains causative frames that introduce objects with da.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice da in Bubblegum
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