Past Tense In Moroccan Arabic

In this lesson, we will discuss the past tense in Moroccan Arabic, the suffixes added to every type of the 4 Darija verb types, followed by examples. (We talked about the 4 types in this post here. Let’s get started!

Past Tense In Moroccan Arabic

The Past Tense Form In Moroccan Arabic

We will use the form below for every verb type with a few tweaks:

Note: you can practice what you’ve learned here, and learn how to pronounce each of the words in our Memrise course here, don’t know how to use the platform or sign up? we’ve got you covered in this easy-to-follow tutorial here.

Past Tense Form For CCC

To conjugate CCC verbs like ktb, lbs, gls, we just add the prefix:

Conjugation of ktb (to write) in the past:

Past Tense Form For CC Verbs

To conjugate CC verbs like sed, keb we add an “i” before the past tense suffix in the first and second pronouns (both singular and plural) :

Conjugation of keb (to pour) in the past:

Past Tense Form For CCV Verbs

To conjugate CCV verbs like shra, kla we replace “a” with “i” before the past tense suffix in the first and second pronouns (both singular and plural) :

Conjugation of shra (to buy) in the past:

Conjugation of ja (to come) in the past:

Past Tense Form For CVC Verbs

To conjugate CVC verbs like ban, tar, gal we remove “a” with (except for hiya, howa and huma) and then add the past tense suffix:

Conjugation of tar (to fly) in the past:

Conjugation of gal (to say) in the past:

Moroccan Arabic Past Tense Review

Glossary of Key Terms

• CCC: Consonant-Consonant-Consonant verb root (e.g., ktb – to write)
• CC: Consonant-Consonant verb root (e.g., sed – to close, keb – to pour)
• CCV: Consonant-Consonant-Vowel verb root (e.g., shra – to buy, kla – to eat)
• CVC: Consonant-Vowel-Consonant verb root (e.g., ban – to appear/seem, tar – to fly, gal – to say)
• Darija: Colloquial Moroccan Arabic

Short Answer Quiz

Instructions: Answer the following questions in 2-3 sentences each.

1. What are the four main verb types in Moroccan Arabic based on their root structure?
2. What is the general rule for conjugating CCC verbs in the past tense?
3. What is the specific rule for conjugating CC verbs in the past tense for the first and second person pronouns?
4. How do you conjugate the CCV verb “shra” (to buy) in the past tense for “I (masculine)”?
5. How does the conjugation of the CCV verb “ja” (to come) differ from other CCV verbs in the past tense?
6. What is the general rule for conjugating CVC verbs in the past tense?
7. Which pronouns are exceptions to the general rule for conjugating CVC verbs in the past tense?
8. Conjugate the CVC verb “gal” (to say) in the past tense for “You (feminine, singular)”.
9. What is the difference in pronunciation between the past tense endings for “He” and “They” in Moroccan Arabic?
10. Besides the verb conjugation, what other grammatical elements are consistent across all past tense conjugations?

Short Answer Quiz Answer Key

1. The four main verb types are CCC, CC, CCV, and CVC, categorized by the consonants (C) and vowels (V) in their root form.
2. To conjugate CCC verbs in the past tense, simply add the appropriate past tense suffix to the root verb.
3. For CC verbs in the past tense, an “i” is inserted before the past tense suffix for the first and second person pronouns (both singular and plural).
4. “Shra” (to buy) conjugated for “I (masculine)” in the past tense is “Ana shrit”.
5. “Ja” (to come) changes the “a” to an “i” before the past tense suffix for all pronouns, unlike other CCV verbs which only do this for the first and second person.
6. For most CVC verbs in the past tense, you remove the “a” from the root verb and then add the appropriate past tense suffix.
7. The pronouns “Howa” (He), “Hia” (She), and “Huma” (They) do not follow the general CVC conjugation rule and retain the “a” from the root verb.
8. The CVC verb “gal” (to say) conjugated for “You (feminine, singular)” in the past tense is “Nti / Ntiya glti”.
9. The past tense ending for “He” is typically “-a” while the ending for “They” is typically “-o” (or “-w” after an “a”).
10. The pronouns used for each subject remain consistent across all past tense conjugations in Moroccan Arabic.

Happy learning!

Oualid Cheddadi

Oualid Cheddadi is a language enthusiast who created Lingualid with the mission to inspire independent language learners worldwide, regardless of the language they are learning. The name “Lingualid” is derived from the Portuguese word for “language,” “língua,” and the last three letters of Oualid’s name, “Lid.”

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