Language/Standard-moroccan-tamazight/Grammar/Negation

Standard Moroccan Tamazight Grammar - Negation

Hi Standard Moroccan Tamazight learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about negation in Standard Moroccan Tamazight. Negation is an important aspect of any language, as it allows us to express negation or denial. We will learn different ways to negate in Standard Moroccan Tamazight, and how to use them in everyday conversations. So, let's get started!

Finish this lesson and explore these related pages: Verb to be, Plurals, Regular Future Tense Verbs & Irregular Future Tense Verbs.

Simple Negation

The most basic way to negate in Standard Moroccan Tamazight is to use the word "ma" before the verb. For example:

Standard Moroccan Tamazight	Pronunciation	English
ما كنتاش نديرو العمل	ma kentash ndiro l3amal	We did not do the work
ما تاكلش	ma taklsh	You do not eat
ما كنتاش سامحيني	ma kentash samhini	We did not forgive you

As you can see in the examples above, "ma" is placed before the verb to negate it. This is the simplest form of negation in Standard Moroccan Tamazight.

Double Negation

In Standard Moroccan Tamazight, we can also use double negatives to emphasize negation. To do this, we use the words "ma" and "wash" together. For example:

Standard Moroccan Tamazight	Pronunciation	English
ما كنتاش نديرو العمل واش في غير هاد الشي	ma kentash ndiro l3amal wash fi ghayr hadash shi	We did not do the work, and there is nothing else to it
ما كانتش كاتعجبنيش واش ما تكرهنيش	ma kanetch kat3jbniwash wach ma tkarhniwash	She did not please me, and she does not hate me either

In the examples above, we used "ma" and "wash" together to emphasize the negation. This is a common practice in Standard Moroccan Tamazight.

Other Ways to Negate

There are other ways to negate in Standard Moroccan Tamazight. One way is to use the word "bghiti" (I want) and put it in the negative form "ma bghitish" (I do not want). For example:

Standard Moroccan Tamazight	Pronunciation	English
ما بغيتش ندير هاد الشي	ma bghitsh ndir hadash shi	I do not want to do this
ما بغيتسوليش هاد السؤال	ma bghietswlish hadash sual	I do not want you to ask me this question

Another way to negate in Standard Moroccan Tamazight is to use the word "lhaja" (the thing) and the word "ma" after it. For example:

Standard Moroccan Tamazight	Pronunciation	English
لحاجة ما عندكش قيمة	lhaja ma 3ndksh qima	That thing is worthless to you
لحاجة ما كانش حدي يعرف	lhaja ma kanch hadi y3rf	That thing, nobody knew

Dialogue

• Person 1: واش كنتيكليش نهارديك ؟ (wash kentiklish nahardik?) (Did you eat today?)
• Person 2: ما تاكلتش ، ما كانش معنديش اليوم وقت (ma takltsh, ma kanch ma3ndish lyum wqt) (I did not eat, I did not have time today)

Cultural Insights

In Standard Moroccan Tamazight, negation is an important aspect of any conversation. It allows you to express denial or negation in various ways. The double negative is common practice in Standard Moroccan Tamazight and is used to emphasize the negation.

Tips

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

Sources

• Tamazight
• Berber languages
• Morocco
• Arabic Language

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Other Lessons

• Adjectives
• How to Use Have
• Masculine and feminine nouns
• Conditional Mood
• How to Use Be
• Possessive pronouns
• Verb to be
• Pronouns
• Questions