Language/Kabyle/Grammar/Negation

Kabyle Grammar - Negation

Hi Kabyle learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about negation in Kabyle grammar. Negation is an essential part of any language, and Kabyle is not an exception. In Kabyle, negation is used to negate verbs, adjectives, and nouns. During this tutorial, we will cover various aspects of negation, including negating verbs, negating adjectives, and negating nouns. So, don't worry if you don't understand everything at first. With practice, you will become more confident in using negation.

After mastering this lesson, these related pages might interest you: Kabyle verb, Plural, Adverbs & Nouns and gender.

Negating Verbs

In Kabyle, negating verbs is straightforward. To negate verbs, we add the negative particle "ur" before the verb. For example, "yesken" means "to eat," and "ur yesken" means "not to eat." Let's take a look at some examples:

Kabyle	Pronunciation	English
yesken	jess-kenn	to eat
ur yesken	oor-jess-kenn	not to eat
rran	rran	to run
ur rran	oor-rran	not to run

Here's a dialogue to see negating verbs in context:

• Person 1: Sidali yella yelhan! (Sidali is eating!)
• Person 2: Ur yesken, ulac win yemmuten! (He's not eating, he's fasting!)

Negating Adjectives

Negating adjectives is equally simple. To negate an adjective, we add the negative particle "ur" before the adjective. For example, "tasa" means "hot," and "ur tasa" means "not hot." Let's take a look at some examples:

Kabyle	Pronunciation	English
tasa	ta-sa	hot
ur tasa	oor-ta-sa	not hot
winna	win-na	beautiful
ur winna	oor-win-na	not beautiful

Here's a dialogue to see negating adjectives in context:

• Person 1: Yemma yella tasa! (Mom is hot!)
• Person 2: Ur tasa, tseddiḍ fell-i! (Not hot, I'm freezing!)

Negating Nouns

Negating nouns is different from negating verbs and adjectives. To negate nouns, we add the negative particle "aru" before the noun. For example, "sem" means "a name," and "aru sem" means "no name." Let's take a look at some examples:

Kabyle	Pronunciation	English
sem	sem	a name
aru sem	a-roo-sem	no name
uγur	oo-goor	a house
aru uγur	a-roo-oo-goor	no house

Here's a dialogue to see negating nouns in context:

• Person 1: Acu kan akk d-yezzi? (What's his name again?)
• Person 2: Aru sem, medden segmi. (No name, I forgot it.)

Remember, like any language, Kabyle has its own set of rules for negation. However, practice makes perfect, and with time, you will be able to use negation without thinking.

To improve your Kabyle Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• Kabyle grammar - Wikipedia
• Negation in Kabyle (Berber)

• Kabylia

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Other Lessons

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• Future Tense
• How to Use Have
• Exam 2 Kabyle Noun
• Kabyle verb
• Plural
• Noun Gender
• Give your Opinion
• Pronouns