Language/Standard-moroccan-tamazight/Grammar/Questions
Hi Standard Moroccan Tamazight learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on questions in Standard Moroccan Tamazight. Asking questions is essential when learning a language. Not only does it facilitate communication but it’s also a great way to learn new vocabulary and structures.
To improve your Standard Moroccan Tamazight Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!
Forming Questions[edit | edit source]
To form a question in Standard Moroccan Tamazight, simply change the intonation at the end of the sentence or add a question particle at the beginning. The most commonly used question particle is "ash" (أشَ). You can add "ash" at the beginning of a sentence to turn it into a question.
For example:
| Standard Moroccan Tamazight | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ash-taswiret? | /aʃ.tæs.wi.rət/ | Did you hear? |
| Ash-kulli? | /aʃ.kʊ.li/ | Do you eat? |
| Ash-k as tuggi? | /aʃ.k‿æs.tuɣ.ɣi/ | What did you say? |
You can also change the intonation of a sentence to form a question. This is called a rising intonation. For example:
| Standard Moroccan Tamazight | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Kulli? | /kʊ.li/ | Do you eat? |
| Taswiret? | /tæs.wi.rət/ | Did you hear? |
| Tuggi ash-k as? | /tuɣ.ɣi aʃ.k‿æs/ | What did you say? |
When forming questions, it's essential to pay attention to the verb-subject agreement. In Standard Moroccan Tamazight, the verb comes before the subject in a question.
For example:
| Standard Moroccan Tamazight | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ash-ma smit? | /aʃ.ma smit/ | What's your name? |
| Ash-dfa3? | /aʃ.dfaʕ/ | Are you fasting? |
| Ash-ktafi? | /aʃ.ktæ.fi/ | Are you satisfied? |
Question words[edit | edit source]
To ask questions that require specific information, you need to use question words in Standard Moroccan Tamazight. Here are some essential question words:
1. Manaya (مانايا) - Where[edit | edit source]
"Manaya" is used to ask about a place, location or destination. It's similar to "Where" in English.
| Standard Moroccan Tamazight | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Manaya ssiyad? | /ma.næ.jæ ssi.jæd/ | Where is the market? |
| Manaya ad as-yessuter? | /ma.næ.jæ ad‿æs.jɛs.su.tər/ | Where will we meet? |
| Manaya ad as-saḥḥa? | /ma.næ.jæ_ad.as.saħ.ħæ/ | Where is the pharmacy? |
2. Makkidash (ماككيداش) - How[edit | edit source]
"Makkidash" can be used to ask about a manner or method of doing something. It's similar to "How" in English.
| Standard Moroccan Tamazight | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Makkidash tettwasel? | /ma.kːi.dæʃ tɛt.twa.səl/ | How do you wash? |
| Makkidash tkellim as-nnes? | /ma.kːi.dæʃ tkɛl.lim æs.nːɛs/ | How do you speak to strangers? |
| Makkidash tebruk? | /ma.kːi.dæʃ tɛb.ruk/ | How do you break up? |
3. Achno (أشنو) - What[edit | edit source]
"Achno" is used to ask about something specific. It's similar to "What" in English.
| Standard Moroccan Tamazight | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Achno sser? | /atʃ.no sːɛr/ | What happened? |
| Achno tettaffar? | /atʃ.no tɛt.ta.fːar/ | What are you looking for? |
| Achno yes-sighsigh? | /atʃ.no jɛs.si.ɣ.siɣ/ | What does it mean? |
4. Iddukkal (إدّوكّال) - Who[edit | edit source]
"Iddukkal" is used to ask about a person or people. It's similar to "Who" in English.
| Standard Moroccan Tamazight | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Iddukkal i yeggar-d ur nlugha? | /id.duk.kæl i jɛɡːær-d ur nluɣa/ | Who taught you? |
| Iddukkal i wumi-t nnes? | /id.duk.kæl i wu.mi-t nːɛs/ | Who woke you up? |
| Iddukkal i-d-yessewleḍ d lfirma? | /id.duk.kæl i d.jɛs.sɛw.lɛd d lfi.rma/ | Who sponsored the wedding? |
5. Achna (أشنا) - Why[edit | edit source]
"Achna" is used to ask about the reason or cause of something. It's similar to "Why" in English.
| Standard Moroccan Tamazight | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Achna zrin a-wass? | /atʃ.næ zrin æ-wæs/ | Why are you angry? |
| Achna yuf-id dayya? | /atʃ.næ yuf-id dæj.jæ/ | Why did he leave? |
| Achna tekkat-t yellan? | /atʃ.næ tɛk.kat-t jɛl.læn/ | Why are they crying? |
6. Akka (أكّا) - How Much/Many[edit | edit source]
"Akka" is used to ask about quantity. It's similar to "How much/many" in English.
| Standard Moroccan Tamazight | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Akka ra teddu? | /ak.kːəræ təddu/ | How much does it cost? |
| Akka tswitfet? | /ak.kːæ tswit.fɛt/ | How much did you eat? |
| Akka yenqiṭ? | /ak.kːæ jɛn.qiʈ/ | How much does it weigh? |
Asking for confirmation[edit | edit source]
In Standard Moroccan Tamazight, to ask for confirmation, you can use the expression "Wash kayn" (واش كاين) or "Wash kan" (واش كان). This means "Is there" or "Are there" in English. You use this when you need to confirm if something exists or not.
For example:
| Standard Moroccan Tamazight | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Wash kayn ssiyad mezyan hna? | /waʃ.kæjn ssi.jæd mɛ.zjæn hnæ/ | Is there a good market here? |
| Wash kan dichen di ibughlalen? | /waʃ.kañ di.tʃɛn di ibu.ɣ.la.lən/ | Are there any doctors in the village? |
Dialogue[edit | edit source]
To help you practice, let's see an example conversation:
- Person 1: Manaya kan ad-tesseggmeḍ? (Where can I park?)
- Person 2: Kan ad-tewwiḍ deg wasaq? (Can you park in the square?)
- Person 1: Aywa, kart d waṭṭine. (Yes, it's free.)
- Person 2: Ash-pi? (Really?)
- Person 1: Aywa, akal d-yas-terreḍ. (Yes, it's always free.)
In this dialogue, you can see how the different question words are used. Make sure to keep practicing and use these question words in your conversations with native speakers to improve your Standard Moroccan Tamazight skills!
Sources[edit | edit source]
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- How to Use Have
- Negation
- Adjectives
- Future Tense
- Masculine and feminine nouns
- Verb have in tamazight
- Possessive pronouns
- How to Use Be
- Plurals