Lesson 25 · A2
Going to go
English has “I'm going to” for plans. Darija has the same thing: ghadi literally means “going”, and it goes in front of the verb just like yours. The only difference: the second verb takes a person.
- Talk about your plans for tomorrow and next week.
- Make the future with ghadi and with gha-.
- Make the future negative.
- Follow a weather forecast.
Twenty-one words
Weather now and weather coming. Note: sh-shta, rain, is feminine; so is r-ri7, wind.
Weather
-
الْجَّوّْ
j-jeww
the weather
Only the sky's. Clock time is l-weqt.
-
الشّْتَا
sh-shta
rain; winter
One word for both. sh-shta kattii7, it's raining: “the rain falls”.
-
الشّْمْشْ
sh-shemsh
the sun
Sh in the middle too: Darija assimilates the s of shams.
-
الرّْيحْ
r-ri7
the wind
Feminine: r-ri7 qwiya, strong wind.
- الْبَرْدْ l-berd cold (noun)
-
السّْخُونِيَّة
s-skhuniya
heat; fever
For weather and bodies: fiya s-skhuniya, I have a temperature.
-
التّْلْجْ
t-telj
snow
In the Atlas, every winter.
- الضّْبَابْ d-dbab fog
What it's like
-
صْحَا
s7a
clear (sky)
Invariable.
-
مْغَيّْمَة
mgheyyma
cloudy
Agrees with s-sma, the sky, which is feminine.
- سْخُونْ skhun hot
- بَارْدْ bared cold
When
-
بَعْدْ غَدَّا
be3d ghedda
the day after tomorrow
“After tomorrow”.
-
السِّيمَانَة الْجَّايَّة
s-simana j-jayya
next week
“The coming week”. jayya is the participle of ja, come.
-
مُورَا
mura
after; behind
Time and space.
-
إِنْ شَاءَ اللّْه
in sha' llah
God willing
Goes with almost every plan. Not a sign of doubt: it is what a plan sounds like.
Plans
-
زَارْ
zar
to visit
Hollow with u: kanzur, ghadi nzur.
-
بْقَى
bqa
to stay
Defective: kanbqa, with a, like kansa.
-
طَاحْ
ta7
to fall
Hollow with i: ghadi yti7. For rain and snow.
-
تْبَدّْلْ
tbeddel
to change
Change by itself: j-jeww tbeddel, the weather has changed.
- الْعُطْلَة l-3otla holidays; vacation
The future with ghadi
Three sentences about tomorrow and one about every day. Compare the verb in the first three with the fourth.
- غَدَّا غَادِي نْمْشِي لْمْرَّاكْشْghedda ghadi nemshi l Merrakesh
- الشّْتَا غَادِي تْطِيحْ فْاللِّيلْsh-shta ghadi tti7 f l-lil
- حْنَا غَانْزُورُو جَدّْتِي نْهَارْ الْحَدّْ7na ghanzuru jeddti nhar l-7edd
- كَنْمْشِي لْلْخْدْمَة كُلّْ نْهَارْkanmshi l l-khedma kull nhar
Which word announces the future? And what happened to the verb's ka-?
The rule
The future is ghadi in front of the verb. ghadi is the participle of “go”: literally “going”.
After it comes the verb without ka-: just the person letter and the root. ghadi nemshi, I'm going to go; ghadi yemshiw, they're going to go.
In speech, ghadi shrinks to gha- and sticks on: ghanemshi, ghaymshi. Same thing, like “gonna”.
Negative: ma ghadish + verb. ma ghadish nemshi, I'm not going to go.
Some speakers make ghadi agree: ghadya for “she”, ghadyin for plurals. The invariable form is the most common and never wrong.
The future of msha
| Person | Say it | Means |
|---|---|---|
| غَادِي نْمْشِي · غَانْمْشِي | ghadi nemshi · ghanemshi | I'm going to go |
| غَادِي تْمْشِي · غَاتْمْشِي | ghadi temshi · ghatemshi | you're / she's going to go |
| غَادِي يْمْشِي · غَايْمْشِي | ghadi yemshi · ghaymshi | he's going to go |
| غَادِي نْمْشِيوْ · غَانْمْشِيوْ | ghadi nemshiw · ghanemshiw | we're going to go |
| غَادِي تْمْشِيوْ | ghadi temshiw | you're going to go (plural) |
| غَادِي يْمْشِيوْ | ghadi yemshiw | they're going to go |
| غَادِي نْكْتَبْ · غَادِي نْقُولْ | ghadi nekteb · ghadi nqul | I'm going to write · to say |
| مَا غَادِيشْ نْمْشِي | ma ghadish nemshi | I'm not going to go |
The form after ghadi is lesson 16's without ka-: the very form we told you not to use on its own. Here it belongs.
What English gives you, and what it costs
Free: “going to”. Same build: a “go” participle and a verb after it. Even “gonna” has its twin in gha-.
Costly: “will”. English uses it for promises and sudden decisions (“I'll get it”). Darija has nothing separate: ghadi does it all.
Costly: the second verb. English “to go” never changes. In Darija it carries the person: ghadi nemshi, ghadi temshi, ghadi yemshi.
Your mistake, not someone else's
English puts a fixed form after “going to”, so you reach for the one Darija form you know best, the present with ka-. That gives you two tenses in one breath.
×غَدَّا غَادِي كَنْمْشِي لْلْبْحَرْFuture and present stacked. “Tomorrow I'm going to I-go”.
✓غَدَّا غَادِي نْمْشِي لْلْبْحَرْ“Tomorrow I'm going to the beach”. No ka-.
And in sha' llah as filler: Moroccans do say it, but a foreigner who adds it to every sentence sounds like a phrasebook. Use it with plans, not with facts.
Tomorrow's weather
A national weather forecast, region by region. Written for this lesson: the figures are invented, but plausible for an autumn day.
الْجَّوّْ دْيَالْ غَدَّا
فْالشّْمَالْ: السّْمَا غَادِي تْكُونْ مْغَيّْمَة وْ الشّْتَا غَادِي تْطِيحْ.
فْالْأَطْلَسْ: غَادِي يْطِيحْ التّْلْجْ فُوقْ 1800 مِتْرُو.
فْالْوَسْطْ: صْحَا، وَلَكِنْ الرّْيحْ غَادِي تْكُونْ قْوِيَّة.
فْالْجّْنُوبْ: الشّْمْشْ وْ السّْخُونِيَّة، 34 دَرَجَة.
بَعْدْ غَدَّا الْجَّوّْ غَادِي يْتْبَدّْلْ: الْبَرْدْ غَادِي يْجِي مْنْ الشّْمَالْ.
Did you follow?
Where will it rain?
Show answers
In the north: f sh-shmal.
Above what height will it snow?
Show answers
Above 1800 metres, in the Atlas.
What's the catch in the centre, though the sky is clear?
Show answers
Strong wind.
What happens the day after tomorrow?
Show answers
The weather changes: cold comes down from the north.
Check
Two here, three more in the A2 book.
Exercises 1 and 2 are here, with answers. Exercises 3 to 5 are in the A2 book, the PDF this site lives on: you can see the first item of each below.
1Into the future
Drop the ka- and add ghadi.
- كَنْمْشِي لْلسُّوقْ
- هِيَ كَتْكْتَبْ لْمّْهَا
- حْنَا كَنْزُورُو خَالْتِي
- هُومَا كَيْبْقَاوْ فْالدَّارْ
2True or false?
According to the forecast.
- It will rain in the north.
- It will snow in the south.
- It will be hot in the south.
- The day after tomorrow will be warmer.
3Sort
Past, present or future?
الْبَارَحْ
Past
Present
Future
4Fill in
With the word from the box that the sentence's time calls for.
غَادِيكَنْكُنْتْمَا غَادِيشْ
- غَدَّا ___ نْسَافْرْ لْطَنْجَة
5Your plans
In five sentences, say what you'll do on your next holiday. Say what the weather will be like.
غَادِيغَدَّاالسِّيمَانَة الْجَّايَّةإِنْ شَاءَ اللّْهالْجَّوّْ
The rest is in the A2 book
The A2 bookShow answers
| 1. Into the future | غَادِي نْمْشِي لْلسُّوقْ · هِيَ غَادِي تْكْتَبْ لْمّْهَا · حْنَا غَادِي نْزُورُو خَالْتِي · هُومَا غَادِي يْبْقَاوْ فْالدَّارْ |
|---|---|
| 2. True or false? | 1-True, 2-False, 3-True, 4-False |
The A2 book: In preparation
Write and I will tell you the day it is out. One email, no list.
I can now
- Say what I'm going to do tomorrow or next week.
- Make the future with ghadi or gha-, no ka-.
- Say what I won't do with ma ghadish.
- Follow a weather forecast.