今夜は特別なんだ。I don’t understand how なんだ fits in here. What does it mean in this context?
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I think it’s not nanda, but tokubetsu-na (special as an adjective) n da(casual desu)
I’m not entirely sure though
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That な performs the same function as だ. It’s used to replace だ when だ is being followed by the の particle. The の particle is frequently shortened to just ん.
特別だ。
特別だ＋のだ。
特別なのだ。
特別なんだ。
It’s not just for な adjectives, this applies to sentences ending in nouns too.
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Yeah like others have said it doesn’t mean “As for tonight special what!” it means “Because tonight is special.”
You could easily change it to 「今夜は特別なのです」.
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Ah I see, thanks! I think I’ve encountered the grammar a long time ago, but most have forgotten. It kinda reminds me of だから, where you need だ when you use it with nouns.
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nice explanation
Yup, that’s one possibility. Slightly more generally though, のだ places emphasis on the fact that ‘tonight is special’. Providing an explanation is definitely one use of it, but it can also be used to insist on something, especially when you have the impression that someone else doesn’t get it/hasn’t realised the implications of that specialness.
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