Lesson 48 · B1
If you came, we'll go
“If you come tomorrow, we'll go to the cinema.” English puts the present after “if”. Darija puts the past: ila jiti, “if you came”. It sounds odd for ten minutes, then nothing else sounds right.
- Set real conditions: if this happens, that happens.
- Use the past after ila even about the future.
- Say “if not” and “otherwise” (w ila la).
- Follow an office notice full of rules.
Twenty-four words
For conditions and for the counter: the papers they ask for, and what they say if one's missing.
Conditions
-
إِلَا
ila
if
Real condition. Past after it.
-
إِلَا مَا
ila ma
if not (+ verb)
ila ma jitish, if you don't come.
-
وَخَّا
wekha
OK; even if
Two uses: “OK!” and “even if” (wekha shta, even if it rains).
- غِيرْ إِلَا ghir ila only if
-
وْ إِلَا لَا
w ila la
otherwise
No verb after it: w ila la, or else...
Papers
- الْبِطَاقَة الْوَطَنِيَّة l-bitaqa l-wataniya national ID card
- الطَّلَبْ t-talab application
-
الْمَلَفّْ
l-malaff
file
“Your file is incomplete” uses this word.
- النُّسْخَة n-nuskha copy
- التّْصْوِيرَة t-tswira photo (ID)
- الْوَصْلْ l-wasl receipt
- الْمَوْعِدْ l-maw3id appointment
- الشُّبَّاكْ sh-shubbak counter; window
Counter verbs
- جَابْ jab to bring
-
عَمّْرْ
3emmer
to fill in
A form: 3emmer l-wraqa.
-
سَنّْى
senna
to sign
Form II.
-
تْسَنَّى
tsenna
to wait
Form V. tsenna shwiya, wait a bit.
- رْفَضْ rfed to refuse
- قْبَلْ qbel to accept
State of the paper
-
نَاقْصْ
naqes
incomplete
Participle of nqes, be missing.
- كَامْلْ kamel complete
- صَالْحْ sale7 valid
- مْنْتَهِي mntahi expired
-
إِجْبَارِي
ijbari
compulsory
Formal, for signs.
ila + past
Four conditions, all about the future or habits. Look at the verb right after ila.
- إِلَا جِيتِي بْكْرِي، مَا غَادِيشْ تْتْسَنَّىila jiti bekri, ma ghadish ttsenna
- إِلَا نْسِيتِي التّْصْوِيرَة، جِيبْهَا غَدَّاila nsiti t-tswira, jibha ghedda
- إِلَا كَانْ الْمَلَفّْ نَاقْصْ، كَيْرْفْضُوهْila kan l-malaff naqes, kayrefduh
- إِلَا مَا فْهَمْتِيشْ، سْوّْلْ فْالشُّبَّاكْila ma fhemtish, sewwel f sh-shubbak
What tense are jiti, nsiti, fhemtish? Are they about the past?
The rule
A real conditional is ila + verb in the past, even when the condition is future or habitual: ila jiti, ghadi nemshiw, if you come, we'll go.
The main clause takes whatever fits: future (ghadi), present (kanbqa) or imperative (3eyyet liya).
With no verb, use kan: ila kan 3endek l-weqt, if you have time.
Negative: ila ma jitish, if you don't come. And bare “otherwise”: w ila la.
Real conditions
| Sentence | Say it | Means |
|---|---|---|
| إِلَا جِيتِي، غَادِي نْمْشِيوْ | ila jiti, ghadi nemshiw | if you come, we'll go |
| إِلَا شْتَّاتْ، كَنْبْقَى فْالدَّارْ | ila shttat, kanbqa f d-dar | if it rains, I stay home |
| إِلَا تْعَطّْلْتِي، عَيّْطْ لِيَّ | ila t3ettelti, 3eyyet liya | if you're late, call me |
| إِلَا مَا جِبْتِيشْ الْوْرَاقْ، مَا يْقْبْلُوشْ | ila ma jbtish l-wraq, ma yqeblush | if you don't bring the papers, they won't accept them |
| إِلَا بْغِيتِي | ila bghiti | if you like |
| إِلَا كَانْ عَنْدَكْ الْوَقْتْ | ila kan 3endek l-weqt | if you have time |
| وْ إِلَا لَا، رْجَعْ غَدَّا | w ila la, rje3 ghedda | otherwise, come back tomorrow |
| غِيرْ إِلَا كَانْ الْمَلَفّْ كَامْلْ | ghir ila kan l-malaff kamel | only if the file is complete |
English column: present after “if”. Arabic column: past after ila. All eight rows.
What English gives you, and what it costs
Free: the main clause. “We'll go”, “call me”, “I stay”: same choices.
Free: “otherwise” as a stand-alone threat: w ila la.
Costly: “if” + present. Your strongest habit, and the one that gives you away. The English past after “if” means “unreal” (if you came…); in Darija it just means “if”.
Your mistake, not someone else's
“If you come tomorrow”: present in English. Put across with ka-, it sounds like “if you habitually come tomorrow”.
×إِلَا كَتْجِي غَدَّا، غَادِي نْمْشِيوْPresent after ila.
✓إِلَا جِيتِي غَدَّا، غَادِي نْمْشِيوْ“If you come tomorrow, we'll go”. Past after ila.
And “whether”: “I don't know if he's coming” is ma 3reftsh wash ghadi yji, with wash, not ila.
Notice to citizens
An office notice about renewing ID cards, written for this lesson in the tone of official notices. The office and rules are invented; the “if…, then…” pattern is everywhere.
إِعْلَانْ لْلْمْوَاطْنِينْ · تَجْدِيدْ الْبِطَاقَة الْوَطَنِيَّة
١. التّْسْجِيلْ بْالْمَوْعِدْ إِجْبَارِي. إِلَا مَا خْدِيتِيشْ الْمَوْعِدْ فْالْأَنْتِرْنِيتْ، مَا غَادِيشْ تْدْخُلْ.
٢. إِلَا كَانْتْ الْبِطَاقَة الْقْدِيمَة مْنْتَهْيَة، جِيبْهَا مْعَاكْ.
٣. إِلَا ضَاعْتْ لِيكْ، خَصّْكْ تْجِيبْ الْوَصْلْ دْيَالْ الْبُولِيسْ.
٤. جُوجْ تْصَاوْرْ جْدَادْ. إِلَا كَانُو التّْصَاوْرْ قْدَامْ، الطَّلَبْ غَادِي يْتّْرْفَضْ.
٥. إِلَا تْعَطّْلْتِي كْتَرْ مَنْ رْبَعْ سَاعَة، خَصّْكْ تْاخُذْ مَوْعِدْ جْدِيدْ.
الْمَلَفّْ النَّاقْصْ مَا كَيْتّْقْبَلْشْ.
Did you follow?
What if you didn't book online?
Show answers
You won't get in.
What should you bring if your old card has expired?
Show answers
The old card itself.
And if you lost it?
Show answers
The police report receipt.
What if you're more than fifteen minutes late?
Show answers
You need a new appointment.
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 condition with its result.
| 1 | إِلَا شْتَّاتْ | a | سْوّْلْنِي |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | إِلَا جِيتِي بْكْرِي | b | غَادِي نْبْقَاوْ فْالدَّارْ |
| 3 | إِلَا مَا فْهَمْتِيشْ | c | كَيْرْفْضُوهْ |
| 4 | إِلَا كَانْ الْمَلَفّْ نَاقْصْ | d | مَا غَادِيشْ تْتْسَنَّى |
2Make it a condition
Turn the question into an ila + past condition.
- كَتْجِي غَدَّا؟ غَادِي نْمْشِيوْ.
- كَتْشْتَا؟ كَنْبْقَى فْالدَّارْ.
- مَا عَنْدَكْشْ الْوْرَاقْ؟ مَا تْجِيشْ.
- بْغِيتِي؟ نْعَاوْنَكْ.
3True or false?
According to the notice.
- An appointment is compulsory.
4Pick the right one
The one that keeps ila + past.
- إِلَا جِيتِي
- إِلَا كَتْجِي
- إِلَا غَادِي تْجِي
5Your rules
Write five rules for your home or workplace with ila.
إِلَاإِلَا مَاوْ إِلَا لَاخَصّْكْغَادِي
The rest is in the B1 book
The B1 bookShow answers
| 1. Match | 1-b, 2-d, 3-a, 4-c |
|---|---|
| 2. Make it a condition | إِلَا جِيتِي غَدَّا، غَادِي نْمْشِيوْ · إِلَا شْتَّاتْ، كَنْبْقَى فْالدَّارْ · إِلَا مَا عَنْدَكْشْ الْوْرَاقْ، مَا تْجِيشْ · إِلَا بْغِيتِي، نْعَاوْنَكْ |
The B1 book: In preparation
Write and I will tell you the day it is out. One email, no list.
I can now
- Set conditions with ila + past.
- Say “if not” with ila ma...sh and “otherwise” with w ila la.
- Understand what papers are needed and what happens if one is missing.
- Read a simple official notice.