In this lesson, we will talk about the imperative in Moroccan Arabic, and how to use it in both positive and negative forms.
The Imperative In Moroccan Arabic
To form the positive imperative in Moroccan Arabic, we drop ka/ta and the prefix -t from the singular and plural “you” pronouns in the present tense.
Example: ktb (write)
| Pronoun | Present | Imperative |
| You (masc. sing.) | Katktb / كتكتب | ktb! / كتب |
| You (fem. sing.) | Katktbi / كتكتبي | ktbi! / كتبي |
| You (plural) | Katktbo / كتكتبو | Ktbo! / كتبو |
Example: gls (to sit)
| Pronoun | Present | Imperative |
| You (masc. sing.) | Katgls / كتجلس | gls! / جلس |
| You (fem. sing.) | Katglsi / كتجلسي | glsi! / جلسي |
| You (plural) | Katglso / كتجلسو | glso! / جلسو |
Example: msha (to go)
| Pronoun | Present | Imperative |
| You (masc. sing.) | Katmshi / كتمشي | mshi! / مشي |
| You (fem. sing.) | Katmshi / كتمشي | mshi! / مشي |
| You (plural) | Katmshw / كتمشيو | mshiw! / مشيو |
In some areas in Morocco, people use Mshi! Mshiw! but in the majority of areas, you will hear Sir! Siri! Siro! instead (only in the positive form!), so this is something to keep in mind.
Example: gal (to say)
| Pronoun | Present | Imperative |
| You (masc. sing.) | Katgul / كتقول | gul! / قول |
| You (fem. sing.) | Katguli / كتقولي | guli! / قولي |
| You (plural) | Katgulo / كتقولو | gulo! / قولو |
Example: kla (to eat)
Kul is an irregular verb also in the imperative form:
| Pronoun | Present | Imperative |
| You (masc. sing.) | Katakul / كتاكل | kul! / اكل |
| You (fem. sing.) | Katakli / كتاكلي | kuli! / اكلي |
| You (plural) | Kataklo / كتاكلو | kulo! / اكلو |
Example: ja (to come)
Notice how the irregular ja requires adding A in the beginning:
| Pronoun | Present | Imperative |
| You (masc. sing.) | Katji / كتجي | aji! / اجي |
| You (fem. sing.) | Katji / كتجي | aji! / اجي |
| You (plural) | Katjw / كتجيو | ajiw! / اجيو |
The Negative Imperative In Darija
Similar to what we talked about in the lesson about negation, the negative imperative will have the markers mat- and -sh with the positive imperative in between:
Example: ktb (write)
| Pronoun | Present | Negative Imperative |
| You (masc. sing.) | Katktb / كتكتب | matktbsh! / متكتبش |
| You (fem. sing.) | Katktbi / كتكتبي | matktbish! / متكتبيش |
| You (plural) | Katktbo / كتكتبو | matktbosh! / متكتبوش |
Example: gls (to sit)
| Pronoun | Present | Negative Imperative |
| You (masc. sing.) | Katgls / كتجلس | matglssh! / متجلسش |
| You (fem. sing.) | Katglsi / كتجلسي | matglsish! / متجلسيش |
| You (plural) | Katglso / كتجلسو | matglsosh! / متجلسوش |
Example: msha (to go)
| Pronoun | Present | Negative Imperative |
| You (masc. sing.) | Katmshi / كتمشي | matmshish! / متمشيش |
| You (fem. sing.) | Katmshi / كتمشي | matmshish! / متمشيش |
| You (plural) | Katmshw / كتمشيو | matmshiwsh! / متمشيوش |
There is no matsirsh, matsirish, matsirosh!
Example: gal (to say)
| Pronoun | Present | Negative Imperative |
| You (masc. sing.) | Katgul / كتقول | matgulsh! / متقولش |
| You (fem. sing.) | Katguli / كتقولي | matgulish! / متقوليش |
| You (plural) | Katgulo / كتقولو | matgulosh! / متقولوش |
Example: kla (to eat) -irregular-
| Pronoun | Present | Negative Imperative |
| You (masc. sing.) | Katakul / كتاكل | matakulsh! / متاكلش |
| You (fem. sing.) | Katakli / كتاكلي | mataklish! / متاكليش |
| You (plural) | Kataklo / كتاكلو | mataklosh! / متاكلوش |
Example: ja (to come) -irregular-
| Pronoun | Present | Negative Imperative |
| You (masc. sing.) | Katji / كتجي | matjish! / متجيش |
| You (fem. sing.) | Katji / كتجي | matjish! / متجيش |
| You (plural) | Katjw / كتجيو | matjiwsh! / متجيوش |
Continue learning Moroccan Arabic with us here.
Happy learning!