Lesson 49 · B1
If you had come
“If you had come, you would have seen it.” English stacks had, would and have. Darija says kun jiti, kun shefti: two kun, two plain pasts, done.
- Talk about what would have happened: if I had…, I would have…
- Imagine the present: if I had money, I'd travel.
- Express regret: if only, I wish.
- Read a Juha tale full of “if only”.
Twenty-two words
For hypotheses and regrets, plus the tale's cast: Juha, his son and a donkey.
If only
-
كُونْ
kun
if (unreal); then (would)
Goes in both halves: kun..., kun...
-
لُوكَانْ
lukan
if (unreal, emphatic)
Stronger than kun, condition half only.
-
يَا رِيتْ
ya rit
I wish; if only
For the past: ya rit jiti, I wish you'd come.
-
كُونْ غِيرْ
kun ghir
if only
kun ghir qolti liya!, if only you'd told me!
- حْسَنْ لِيكْ 7sen lik you'd be better off
What might have been
-
نْدَمْ
ndem
to regret
ndemt, I regretted it.
- النّْدَامَة n-ndama regret
- الْغْلْطَة l-ghelta mistake
- الْفُرْصَة l-forsa chance; opportunity
- الْحَظّْ l-7ezz luck
The tale
-
جْحَا
J7a
Juha (J7a)
The folk-tale character, wise and foolish at once. Known across the Arab world and beyond (Nasreddin in Turkey).
- الْحْمَارْ l-7mar donkey
- الْوْلْدْ l-weld son; boy
-
الدُّوَّارْ
d-duwwar
hamlet
Lesson 24's word.
- الْحْكَايَة l-7kaya story
Verbs of the tale
-
ضْحَكْ عْلَى
d7ek 3la
to laugh at
With 3la.
-
عَايْرْ
3ayer
to criticise; reproach
Form III.
-
رْضَى
rda
to please; be satisfied
rda n-nas, pleasing people.
- رْفَدْ rfed to carry
-
شْفَقْ
shfeq
to take pity
sh-shfqa, pity.
- حْشَمْ 7shem to be ashamed
- كُلّْ وَاحْدْ kull wa7ed everyone
kun ..., kun ...
Four hypotheses about things that didn't or don't happen. See which word repeats and which tense the verbs take.
- كُونْ جِيتِي الْبَارَحْ، كُونْ شْفْتِي الْعُرْسْkun jiti l-bare7, kun shefti l-3ors
- لُوكَانْ كَانْ عَنْدِي الْوَقْتْ، كُونْ عَاوْنْتْكْlukan kan 3endi l-weqt, kun 3awentek
- كُونْ كُنْتْ غْنِي، كُونْ كَنْسَافْرْ كُلّْ عَامْkun kont ghni, kun kansafer kull 3am
- كُونْ غِيرْ قُلْتِي لِيَّ!kun ghir qolti liya!
How many times does kun appear in the first sentence? Is there a “would” anywhere?
The rule
For what didn't happen or isn't so, the condition takes kun (or emphatic lukan) + past, and the result takes kun + past: kun jiti, kun shefti, if you had come, you'd have seen it.
To imagine the present, the result takes kun + ka-: kun kont ghni, kun kansafer, if I were rich, I'd travel.
With states, kont, kan: kun kan 3endi l-flus, if I had money.
For regret: ya rit + past, I wish; kun ghir + past, if only.
And the border with lesson 48: ila is for what can still happen; kun, for what can't.
What wasn't
| Sentence | Say it | Means |
|---|---|---|
| كُونْ جِيتِي، كُونْ شْفْتِيهْ | kun jiti, kun sheftih | if you had come, you'd have seen him |
| لُوكَانْ عْرَفْتْ، كُونْ مَا جِيتْشْ | lukan 3reft, kun ma jitsh | if I'd known, I wouldn't have come |
| كُونْ كُنْتْ عَارْفْ | kun kont 3aref | if I had known |
| كُونْ كَانْ عَنْدِي الْفْلُوسْ | kun kan 3endi l-flus | if I had money |
| كُونْ كَنْشْرِي دَارْ | kun kanshri dar | (then) I'd buy a house |
| كُونْ مَا جَاتْشْ الشّْتَا | kun ma jatsh sh-shta | if it hadn't rained |
| يَا رِيتْ جِيتِي | ya rit jiti | I wish you'd come |
| كُونْ غِيرْ قُلْتِي لِيَّ | kun ghir qolti liya | if only you'd told me! |
English column: had, would, would have. Arabic column: past and kun. That's all.
What English gives you, and what it costs
Free: the backshift idea. English already moves unreal conditions one tense back (“if I had”). Darija does the same, into the plain past.
Free: “if only”, “I wish”: one-to-one with kun ghir, ya rit.
Costly: “would”. You'll hunt for it. It's the second kun.
Your mistake, not someone else's
You've just learnt ila + past, and “if you had come” is past too, so ila comes out. But ila leaves the door open: “if you came yesterday (did you?), you saw the wedding”.
×إِلَا جِيتِي الْبَارَحْ، شْفْتِي الْعُرْسْOpen condition about a closed fact.
✓كُونْ جِيتِي الْبَارَحْ، كُونْ شْفْتِي الْعُرْسْ“If you'd come yesterday, you'd have seen the wedding”.
And keep the second kun: kun jiti, shefti is only half the sentence.
Juha, his son and the donkey
A Juha tale told across the Maghreb, and in Europe as the fable of the miller, his son and the donkey. The story belongs to everyone; the Darija version is ours. Every criticism the people make uses kun.
جْحَا وْ وْلْدُو وْ الْحْمَارْ
نْهَارْ، جْحَا وْ وْلْدُو خَرْجُو لْلسُّوقْ. جْحَا رْكَبْ الْحْمَارْ، وْ الْوْلْدْ تْبْعُو عْلَى رْجْلِيهْ.
النَّاسْ قَالُو: «شُوفُو هَادْ الرَّاجْلْ! كُونْ كَانْ فِيهْ الشّْفْقَة، كُونْ رْكّْبْ وْلْدُو.»
جْحَا نْزَلْ وْ رْكّْبْ الْوْلْدْ. النَّاسْ قَالُو: «الْوْلْدْ رَاكْبْ وْ بَّاهْ مَاشِي! كُونْ كَانْ مْرَبِّي، كُونْ نْزَلْ.»
رْكْبُو بْجُوجْ. النَّاسْ قَالُو: «مْسْكِينْ الْحْمَارْ! لُوكَانْ كَانُو كَيْخَافُو اللّْه، كُونْ نْزْلُو.»
مْشَاوْ بْجُوجْ عْلَى رْجْلِيهُمْ. النَّاسْ ضَحْكُو: «عَنْدْهُمْ حْمَارْ وْ مَاشْيِينْ؟ كُونْ رْكْبُو، كُونْ وْصْلُو بْكْرِي!»
جْحَا قَالْ لْوْلْدُو: «شْفْتِي؟ رْضَى النَّاسْ غَايَة مَا كَتّْدْرَكْشْ.»
Cuento tradicional de Yha (Juha), tradición oral del Magreb; versión en darija de Learning Darija · dominio público
Did you follow?
What do people say when Juha rides?
Show answers
That he'd let his son ride if he had any pity.
And when the son rides?
Show answers
That a well-brought-up son would get down for his father.
And when both ride?
Show answers
Poor donkey.
What does the son learn?
Show answers
That pleasing everyone is a goal you never reach.
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 hypothesis with its result.
| 1 | كُونْ جِيتِي بْكْرِي | a | كُونْ عَاوْنْتْكْ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | لُوكَانْ عْرَفْتْ | b | كُونْ لْقِيتِي بْلَاصَة |
| 3 | كُونْ كَانْ عَنْدِي الْوَقْتْ | c | كُونْ خْرَجْنَا |
| 4 | كُونْ مَا جَاتْشْ الشّْتَا | d | كُونْ مَا شْرِيتُوشْ |
2Imagine it
Turn the fact into a kun..., kun... hypothesis.
- مَا جِيتِيشْ، مَا شْفْتِيشْ الْعُرْسْ.
- مَا عْرَفْتْشْ، شْرِيتْ الْغَالِي.
- مَا عَنْدِيشْ الْفْلُوسْ، مَا كَنْسَافْرْشْ.
- مَا قُلْتِيشْ لِيَّ، مَا جِيتْشْ.
3True or false?
According to the tale.
- At first Juha rides and his son walks.
4ila or kun?
Can it still happen, or not any more?
- كُونْ جِيتِي، كُونْ شْفْتِيهْ
- إِلَا جِيتِي، كُونْ شْفْتِيهْ
- كُونْ كَتْجِي، شْفْتِيهْ
5Your regret
In five sentences, tell something you didn't do and what would have happened if you had.
كُونْلُوكَانْيَا رِيتْنْدَمْتْ
The rest is in the B1 book
The B1 bookShow answers
| 1. Match | 1-b, 2-d, 3-a, 4-c |
|---|---|
| 2. Imagine it | كُونْ جِيتِي، كُونْ شْفْتِي الْعُرْسْ · كُونْ عْرَفْتْ، كُونْ مَا شْرِيتْشْ الْغَالِي · كُونْ كَانْ عَنْدِي الْفْلُوسْ، كُونْ كَنْسَافْرْ · كُونْ قُلْتِي لِيَّ، كُونْ جِيتْ |
The B1 book: In preparation
Write and I will tell you the day it is out. One email, no list.
I can now
- Say what would have happened with kun..., kun...
- Imagine the present: kun kont..., kun kan-...
- Express regret with ya rit and kun ghir.
- Choose between ila and kun.