Language/Standard-moroccan-tamazight/Grammar/How-to-Use-Have

Standard Moroccan Tamazight Grammar - How to Use "Have"

Hi Standard Moroccan Tamazight learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on the use of the verb "to have" in Standard Moroccan Tamazight. "To have" is used in a variety of ways in English, such as to express possession, obligations, and experiences. It is also used to form compound tenses. Similarly, in Standard Moroccan Tamazight, "to have" is used in a variety of contexts.

Possession

In English, "to have" is used to indicate possession. For example, "I have a car" means "I possess a car." In Standard Moroccan Tamazight, "to have" is expressed using the verb "uffi" (أفي). "Uffi" literally means "to exist," and is used in Standard Moroccan Tamazight in the same way the verb "to have" is used in English. Let's take a look at some examples:

Standard Moroccan Tamazight	Pronunciation	English
أفي مالية	Affi malia	I have money
ماكاينش شي واحد أفيه	Makaynsh chi wahed affiha	There is none that she has

Obligations and Necessities

In English, "to have to" is used to indicate obligations or necessities. For example, "I have to go to work" means "I am obligated to go to work." In Standard Moroccan Tamazight, "to have to" is expressed using the verb "kayhder" (كايحضر). "Kayhder" literally means "to prepare," and is used to express obligation or necessity. For example:

Standard Moroccan Tamazight	Pronunciation	English
كايحضر للدراسة كل يوم	Kayhder laddarasa kl yawm	I have to study every day
ما عنديش الوقت, كايحضر رشدة	Ma 3ndish lwa9t, kayhder rushda	I don't have time, I have to hurry

Experiences

In English, "to have" is often used to indicate experiences. For example, "I have a headache" means "I am experiencing a headache." In Standard Moroccan Tamazight, "to have" is also used to indicate experiences, but it is not the only way to express them.

Let's look at the following dialogue:

• Person 1: أنا ماسمعت حتى نهارا نهارا (Ana massma3t hta nharan nharan) (I haven't heard anything all day)
• Person 2: شكون لقا خبار؟ (Shkon lqa khabar?) (Did anyone find any news?)
• Person 1: لا ما لقاليش شي حتى أنا أواقف يمين || La ma lqalish chi hta ana awa9f yamin. (No, I haven't heard anything all day and I am clueless.)

In this dialogue, Person 1 is expressing that they have not experienced any sound all day. In Standard Moroccan Tamazight, "to experience" can be expressed using the verb "jra" (جرى) in the past tense.

Standard Moroccan Tamazight	Pronunciation	English
كايجرالو قلبو ديال الخوف	Kayjralo qlbo dyal khuf	His heart is racing from fear (literally: his heart experienced fear)
جاتني مغص, غير مقدرتش نتحرك	Gatni mghs, ghir mqdratch nt7erk	I got a stomach ache, I couldn't move (literally: I experienced a stomach ache and I couldn't move)

Compound Tenses

In English, "to have" is used to form compound tenses with a past participle. For example, "I have seen the movie" means "I saw the movie." In Standard Moroccan Tamazight, compound tenses are formed using the auxiliary verb "kaynin" (كاينين). "Kaynin" is the present tense of "to have," and is similar to the English auxiliary verb "to have."

Here are some examples of compound tenses in Standard Moroccan Tamazight:

Standard Moroccan Tamazight	Pronunciation	English
كاين لي كيقول الحقيقة	Kayn li kaygol l7a9i9a	He who tells the truth exists (literally: there is one who tells the truth)
ما كانش ساكن فالمدينة	Ma kanash sakn flmadina	He wasn't living in the city (literally: he didn't exist in the city)

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

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