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Learning Darijaالدارجة

Lesson 46 · B1

Sleeping is important

“Sleeping is important”, “I love reading”, “no smoking”. English turns actions into nouns with -ing. Darija uses a real noun, with the article: n-n3as, l-qraya, t-tdkhin.

  • Turn an action into a noun: sleep, reading, smoking.
  • Recognise the taf3il pattern of Form II.
  • Talk about habits and health.
  • Read a popular-science article.
1

Twenty-four words

The first two families are verbal nouns. Form I ones must be learnt one by one; Form II ones all follow the same pattern.

Form I actions

  • النّْعَاسْ n-n3as sleep; sleeping

    From n3es.

  • الْمْشِي l-mshi walking

    From msha.

  • الْقْرَايَة l-qraya reading; studies

    From qra. l-qraya dyali, my studies.

  • الْكْتَابَة l-ktaba writing

    From kteb.

  • الشّْرِيبْ sh-shrib drinking

    From shreb.

  • الْمَاكْلَة l-makla food; eating

    From kla, another pattern.

  • السّْهَرْ s-sher staying up late
  • الرَّاحَة r-ra7a rest

Form II actions (taf3il)

  • التَّعْلِيمْ t-ta3lim education; teaching

    From 3ellem: taf3il pattern.

  • التّْدْخِينْ t-tdkhin smoking

    From dekhkhen, to smoke.

  • التّْسْجِيلْ t-tesjil registration

    From sejjel, lesson 31.

  • التّْبْدِيلْ t-tebdil change

    From beddel.

  • التّْنْظِيمْ t-tendim organisation; routine

    From neddem, organise.

Health

  • الصَّحَّة s-se77a health

    b s-se77a, enjoy your meal.

  • الرِّيَاضَة r-riyada sport; exercise
  • الْمُخّْ l-mukhkh brain
  • الْجِّسْمْ j-jism body
  • الْعَادَة l-3ada habit
  • الْبَحْثْ l-ba7th research; study

To judge

  • مُهِمّْ muhimm important
  • ضْرُورِي daruri necessary
  • مُضِرّْ mudirr harmful
  • عَلَى الْأَقَلّْ 3la l-aqell at least
  • كْبَارْ kbar adults

    Plural of kbir.

2

The action as a noun

Four sentences where an action works as a noun: as subject, as object, on a sign.

  1. النّْعَاسْ مُهِمّْ لْلصَّحَّةn-n3as muhimm l s-se77a
  2. كَنْحَبّْ الْقْرَايَة قْبَلْ مَا نْنْعَسْkan7ebb l-qraya qbel ma nn3es
  3. الْمْشِي نُصّْ سَاعَة كُلّْ نْهَارْl-mshi nuss sa3a kull nhar
  4. مَمْنُوعْ التّْدْخِينْ فْالسّْبِيطَارْmamnu3 t-tdkhin f s-sbitar

Do n-n3as, l-qraya, t-tdkhin have the article? What would English put there?

The rule

The verbal noun (maṣdar) is the action turned into a noun: n-n3as, sleeping; l-qraya, reading. It takes the article and behaves like any noun.

In Form I there's no fixed pattern: msha → l-mshi; n3es → n-n3as; qra → l-qraya; kteb → l-ktaba. Learn each with its verb.

In Form II the pattern is fixed, taf3il: 3ellem → t-ta3lim; dekhkhen → t-tdkhin; sejjel → t-tesjil.

It goes where English puts an -ing noun: as subject (n-n3as muhimm), as object (kan7ebb l-qraya), on signs (mamnu3 t-tdkhin).

From verb to action

Verb → nounSay itMeans
مْشَى ← الْمْشِيmsha → l-mshiwalk → walking
نْعَسْ ← النّْعَاسْn3es → n-n3asfall asleep → sleep
قْرَا ← الْقْرَايَةqra → l-qrayaread → reading
كْتَبْ ← الْكْتَابَةkteb → l-ktabawrite → writing
عَلّْمْ ← التَّعْلِيمْ3ellem → t-ta3limteach → teaching
دَخّْنْ ← التّْدْخِينْdekhkhen → t-tdkhinsmoke → smoking
سَجّْلْ ← التّْسْجِيلْsejjel → t-tesjilregister → registration
مَمْنُوعْ التّْدْخِينْmamnu3 t-tdkhinno smoking

The three Form II ones start the same way, t-, and end in -iC. That's your “-ing” for Form II.

What English gives you, and what it costs

Free: -ing as a noun. “Walking is good for you”, “no smoking”: that's exactly the maṣdar's job.

Free: “-tion” nouns. registration, education: t-tesjil, t-ta3lim.

Costly: the article. “Sleeping is important” has no “the”; n-n3as does.

Your mistake, not someone else's

Want to say “to sleep is important”, you look for an infinitive. There isn't one, so out comes the form without ka-, the one after bgha. But that form has a person: “that I sleep is important”.

×نْنْعَسْ مُهِمّْ لْلصَّحَّة“That I sleep is important”.

✓النّْعَاسْ مُهِمّْ لْلصَّحَّة“Sleep is important”.

After bgha, khass and friends, it's still the verb with a person, not the maṣdar: bghit nqra, not bghit l-qraya (which is “I want an education”).

3

Sleep: why it matters

A short popular-science piece in the style of ary.wikipedia's science entries. The advice is standard public-health advice; the wording is ours. Count the verbal nouns: more than ten.

النّْعَاسْ: عْلَاشْ مُهِمّْ؟

النّْعَاسْ مَاشِي غِيرْ رَاحَة. فْاللِّيلْ، الْمُخّْ كَيْرَتّْبْ دَاكْشِي لِّي تْعَلّْمْنَا فْالنّْهَارْ.

الْكْبَارْ خَصّْهُمْ سْبْعْ سْوَايْعْ عَلَى الْأَقَلّْ، وْ الدّْرَارِي كْتَرْ.

السّْهَرْ قُدَّامْ الشَّاشَة مُضِرّْ: الضَّوْ دْيَالْهَا كَيْبْعْدْ النّْعَاسْ.

الْمْشِي وْ الرِّيَاضَة فْالنّْهَارْ كَيْعَاوْنُو، وَلَكِنْ مَاشِي قْبَلْ النّْعَاسْ دِيرِيكْتْ.

الْقَهْوَة وْ أَتَايْ فْاللِّيلْ: مَاشِي فِكْرَة مْزْيَانَة.

وْ التَّنْظِيمْ ضْرُورِي: النّْعَاسْ وْ الْفَيَقَانْ فْنَفْسْ السَّاعَة كُلّْ نْهَارْ.

Sleep: why it matters

Did you follow?

  1. What does the brain do at night?

    Show answers

    Sorts out what we learnt during the day.

  2. How many hours does an adult need?

    Show answers

    At least seven.

  3. Why is staying up with screens bad?

    Show answers

    Their light keeps sleep away.

  4. What's necessary, according to the end?

    Show answers

    Routine: going to sleep and waking at the same time every day.

4

Check

Two here, three more in the B1 book.

Exercises 1 and 2 are here, with answers. Exercises 3 to 5 are in the B1 book, the PDF this site lives on: you can see the first item of each below.

1Match

Each verb with its verbal noun.

1مْشَىaالتَّعْلِيمْ
2قْرَاbالْمْشِي
3عَلّْمْcالتّْدْخِينْ
4دَخّْنْdالْقْرَايَة

2Make it a noun

Rewrite using the start given in brackets.

  1. كَنْقْرَا قْبَلْ مَا نْنْعَسْ. (كَنْحَبّْ...)
  2. مَا تْدَخّْنْشْ هْنَا. (مَمْنُوعْ...)
  3. خَصّْكْ تْمْشِي كُلّْ نْهَارْ. (... مُهِمّْ)
  4. خَصّْكْ تْسَجّْلْ قْبَلْ الْجُّمْعَة. (... قْبَلْ الْجُّمْعَة)

3True or false?

According to the article.

  1. Sleep isn't just rest.

The rest is in the B1 book

3 more items, with the answers.

The B1 book

4Fill in

With the verbal noun from the box. No vowels.

النعاسالرياضةالسهرالتسجيلالماكلة

  1. ___ بكري كيعطيك الجهد

The rest is in the B1 book

4 more items, with the answers.

The B1 book

5Your habits

Describe five of your habits using verbal nouns, and say which are good and which aren't.

النّْعَاسْالْمْشِيمُهِمّْمُضِرّْضْرُورِي

The rest is in the B1 book

The B1 book
Show answers
1. Match1-b, 2-d, 3-a, 4-c
2. Make it a nounكَنْحَبّْ الْقْرَايَة قْبَلْ النّْعَاسْ · مَمْنُوعْ التّْدْخِينْ هْنَا · الْمْشِي كُلّْ نْهَارْ مُهِمّْ · التّْسْجِيلْ قْبَلْ الْجُّمْعَة

The B1 book: In preparation

Write and I will tell you the day it is out. One email, no list.

Tell me when it is out

I can now

  • Use an action as a noun: n-n3as, l-qraya, l-mshi.
  • Form the Form II noun with taf3il.
  • Read signs: mamnu3 t-tdkhin.
  • Talk about healthy habits.