Module 9 · Grammar and communication
Lesson 82 · Lower intermediate · 4 min
Common verbs in the present
Sleep, eat, drink, go, see, know: everyday verbs in the third person.
- Unreviewed: this lesson’s Darija and translations have not yet been checked by a native speaker.
In this lesson
- Recognise ten very common verbs
- Use “kay-” for “he”
- Describe someone’s habits
To describe what someone else does: “kay” + verb. A very lazy cat is going to help us!
No audio for this lesson yet
This lesson hasn’t been recorded yet, and we won’t fake it with a made-up voice. Read the dialogue out loud with the help of the transliteration key.
Dialogue
- HamidChno kaydir lmech dyalek nhar kaml?What does your cat do all day?
- YousraKayn3es, kayakol, w kayn3es 3awtani!He sleeps, eats, and sleeps again!
- HamidWach kaychreb l7lib?Does he drink milk?
- YousraLa, kaychreb ghir lma. W kaybghi l7out bzzaf.No, he only drinks water. And he loves fish.
- HamidW fin kaymchi f lil?And where does he go at night?
- YousraKaykhrej l sstte7 w kaychouf l9mer.He goes out on the roof and looks at the moon.
- HamidHhh, w kay3ref smiyto?Haha, and does he know his name?
- YousraKay3refha, walakin ma kayjich mlli kan3iyyet 3lih!He knows it, but he doesn’t come when I call him!
How to read the transliteration
Darija is written here in Latin letters, the way many Moroccans text. A few symbols stand for sounds English, French and Swedish don't have:
- 3
- a tight sound from the throat (Arabic ع)
- 7
- a breathy h, stronger than English h (ح)
- 9
- a k made deep in the throat (ق)
- gh
- like a French r (غ)
- kh
- like the ch in Scottish loch or German Bach (خ)
- ch
- like English sh (ش)
Vocabulary
- kaydirكيدير
- he does
- kayn3esكينعس
- he sleeps
- kayakolكياكل
- he eats
- kaychrebكيشرب
- he drinks
- kaybghiكيبغي
- he loves, wants
- kaymchiكيمشي
- he goes
- kaykhrejكيخرج
- he goes out
- kaychoufكيشوف
- he sees, looks at
- kay3refكيعرف
- he knows
- kayjiكيجي
- he comes
- lmechالمش
- the cat
- l9merالقمر
- the moon
Repeat after me
Read each phrase out loud, then cover it and say it from memory.
Chno kaydir lmech dyalek nhar kaml?
شنو كيدير المش ديالك نهار كامل؟
What does your cat do all day?
Kayn3es, kayakol, w kayn3es 3awtani!
كينعس، كياكل، وكينعس عاوتاني!
He sleeps, eats, and sleeps again!
La, kaychreb ghir lma. W kaybghi l7out bzzaf.
لا، كيشرب غير الما. وكيبغي الحوت بزاف.
No, he only drinks water. And he loves fish.
Kaykhrej l sstte7 w kaychouf l9mer.
كيخرج للسطح وكيشوف القمر.
He goes out on the roof and looks at the moon.
Quiz
Your turn
Describe a person’s or an animal’s habits with four “kay-” verbs.
Show an example answer
Khouya kaynoud bekri, kaychreb l9ahwa, kaymchi l lkhedma w kayrje3 m3a stta.
خويا كينوض بكري، كيشرب القهوة، كيمشي للخدمة وكيرجع مع الستة.
My brother gets up early, drinks coffee, goes to work and comes home at six.
Summary
Kay + verb for “he”: kaydir, kayn3es, kayakol, kaychreb, kaymchi, kaychouf, kay3ref, kayji. Negative: ma kay…ch.
Finished?
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