Language/Algerian-arabic/Grammar/Negation

Algerian Arabic Grammar - Negation

Hi Algerian Arabic learners! 😊
In this lesson, we are going to focus on negation in Algerian Arabic grammar. To understand negation, it's important first to understand two types of sentences in Arabic: affirmative and negative sentences.

Affirmative Sentences

In affirmative sentences, we affirm a fact or an action. Here are some examples:

Algerian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
نَديرو	nādīro	We do
تَحيا الجَزاير	taḥyā l-jazāir	Long live Algeria
طِلعَة بيرْ	ṭilʿa bīr	A trip to Bir
سَلَام	salām	Hello

In Algerian Arabic, affirmative sentences generally have a positive particle called "nāʿam" (yes) or its synonym "aywa" (also pronounced "iwa"). For instance:

Algerian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
نَديرو نَعَم	nādīro naʿam	Yes, we do
تَحيا الجَزاير آيوة	taḥyā l-jazāir aywa	Yes, Long live Algeria
هَو طِلعَة بيرْ آيوة	huwa ṭilʿa bīr aywa	Yes, He / She is going for a trip to Bir
إِيوة سَلَام	īwa salām	Yes, Hello

Negative Sentences

In negative sentences, we negate a fact or an action. The negative particle used in Algerian Arabic is "مَا" (ma). Here are some examples:

Algerian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
ما نَديروش	mā nādīrūš	We don't do
ما تَحياش الجَزاير	mā taḥyāš l-jazāir	Don't live Algeria
ما ياشطح بيرْش	mā yāšṭaḥḥa bīrš	Don't Make fun of Bir
ما تُوليش	mā tūlīš	Don't turn away

To negate a sentence in Algerian Arabic, we generally start the sentence with the negative particle "ma" followed by the verb. For instance:

Algerian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
ما نَديروش	mā nādīrūš	We don't

Using "ما" as a Negation Particle

In Algerian Arabic, "ما" (ma) is often used to negate verbs in the present tense. It is placed before the verb, which is then conjugated in the imperfect form. Here is an example:

Algerian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
ما تِشْرا	mā tišra	Don't buy

Using "ماشي" as a Negation Particle

Algerian Arabic also uses "ماشي" (māshī) as a negation particle, It is more commonly used as an alternative to "ما" (ma) in certain cases. Here is an example:

Algerian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
مَاشي يَشرِي	māshī yašri	Not buying

Using "الا" as a Negation Particle

"الا" (illā) is used to negate verbs and nouns in the present and past. It is used as an alternative to "ما" (ma) in some cases. Here's an example:

Algerian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
الا نتَكَلَموا خَطُوم	illā nta kalāmu khaṭum	Not all of us are fluent in dialect

Negation with Pronouns

In Algerian Arabic, negation with pronouns is also common. It is used to negate pronouns such as "everyone," "something," "anything," and "nothing". Here are some examples:

Algerian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
والو ما يَعرِفُوش	wallū mā yaʿrifuš	They don't know anything [lit. and If they don't know]
مايَكول لا شيئ	mayakūl lā shayʾ	He doesn't say anything
ما بَان شيء	mā bāne shīʾ	Nothing appears

Dialogue

Here's a dialogue that includes negation:

• Person 1: مَا نَصوميش بُكرا (mā naṣūmīš bukra) (We are not fasting tomorrow)
• Person 2: علاش ما تَصومُوش ؟ (ʿlāš mā tnaṣūmūš?) (Why aren't you fasting?)

Practice

Here are some exercises to practice negation in Algerian Arabic:

1. Translate these sentences to Algerian Arabic: a. I don't want to eat. b. They don't understand anything. c. She doesn't like spicy food.

2. Translate these sentences to English: a. ماشي نَشريوش؟ (māshī našrīwūš?) b. تَوا ما تَكلَمْش؟ (tawwa mā taklamš?) c. ما ياكُلُوش لَحم بُقر (mā yākuluš laḥm buqr)

➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Sources

• Algerian Arabic
• Arabic grammar
• Negation in linguistics
• Negation in grammar