Lesson 51 · B1
So as not to be late
“I came to see you”, “I taught him so that he'd know”, “I left early so as not to be late”. Three English patterns, one in Darija: bash, and the verb with its person.
- Say what you do something for.
- Use bash with any subject, same pattern every time.
- Say “so as not to” with bash ma...sh.
- Read a popular-science text about argan.
Twenty-two words
Purpose, and argan: the tree, the fruit and the work behind the oil.
What for
-
بَاشْ
bash
to; so that; in order to
Before the verb without ka-.
-
بَاشْ مَا
bash ma
so as not to
bash ma nt3ettelsh, so as not to be late.
-
بَاشْ؟
bash?
what for?
Alone: bash? Also 3lash?, why?
-
عْلَى وْدْ
3la wedd
for the sake of
With a noun: 3la wedd l-wlad, for the children.
- الْهَدَفْ l-hadaf aim; goal
Argan
-
الْأَرْكَانْ
l-argan
argan
Pronounced with ڭ: argan.
- الشّْجْرَة sh-shejra tree
- الزَّرْعَة z-zer3a kernel; seed
-
الْعْضَمْ
l-3dem
stone (of a fruit)
Also “bone”.
- الزِّيتْ z-zit oil
- الْمْعْزَة l-me3za goat
- التّْعَاوُنِيَّة t-ta3awuniya cooperative
The work
- هْرَسْ hres to crack
- طْحَنْ t7en to grind
-
عْصَرْ
3ser
to press; squeeze
3ser l-limun, squeeze a lemon.
- جْمَعْ jme3 to gather
-
حَافْظْ عْلَى
7afed 3la
to protect; preserve
Form III with 3la.
-
صْدَّرْ
sedder
to export
Form II.
Where and who
- الْجّْنُوبْ الْغَرْبِي j-jnub l-gharbi the south-west
-
النّْسَا
n-nsa
women
Irregular plural: one woman, mra.
- الدَّخْلْ d-dakhl income
- نَادْرْ nader rare
bash + verb
Four sentences saying what something is done for. One is negative, one a question.
- النّْسَا كَيْهَرْسُو الْعْضَمْ بَاشْ يْخَرّْجُو الزَّرْعَةn-nsa kayhersu l-3dem bash ykherrju z-zer3a
- دَرْنَا تَعَاوُنِيَّة بَاشْ نْبِيعُو بْلَا وْسِيطْderna ta3awuniya bash nbi3u bla wsit
- خَصّْنَا نْحَافْظُو عْلَى الشّْجَرْ بَاشْ مَا يْمُوتْشْkhassna n7afdu 3la sh-shjer bash ma ymutsh
- بَاشْ كَيْصْلَحْ هَادْ الزِّيتْ؟bash kaysle7 had z-zit?
Does the pattern change when both halves have the same subject and when they don't?
The rule
bash + verb without ka-, with the person who does the second action: jit bash nshufek, I came to see you; 3ellemtu bash y3ref, I taught him so that he'd know.
Same subject or different, the pattern never changes.
Negative: bash ma + verb + -sh: bash ma nt3ettelsh, so as not to be late.
Question: bash?, what for?
With a noun, not bash: l- (jit l l-khedma, I came for work) or 3la wedd (for the sake of).
What for
| Sentence | Say it | Means |
|---|---|---|
| جِيتْ بَاشْ نْشُوفَكْ | jit bash nshufek | I came to see you |
| عَلّْمْتُو بَاشْ يْعْرَفْ | 3ellemtu bash y3ref | I taught him so that he'd know |
| خْرَجْتْ بْكْرِي بَاشْ مَا نْتْعَطّْلْشْ | khrejt bekri bash ma nt3ettelsh | I left early so as not to be late |
| سَدّْ الْبَابْ بَاشْ مَا يْدْخُلْشْ الْبَرْدْ | sedd l-bab bash ma ydkhulsh l-berd | shut the door so the cold doesn't get in |
| بَاشْ؟ — بَاشْ نْقْرَا | bash? — bash nqra | what for? — to study |
| جِيتْ لْلْخْدْمَة | jit l l-khedma | I came for work |
| عْلَى وْدّْ الْوْلَادْ | 3la wedd l-wlad | for the children's sake |
| غَادِي نْخْدَمْ بَاشْ نْشْرِي دَارْ | ghadi nkhdem bash nshri dar | I'll work to buy a house |
Rows 1 and 2: English switches from “to” to “so that”. Darija doesn't.
What English gives you, and what it costs
Free: “so that he knows”. English puts a subject in the purpose clause when it's someone else; Darija always does.
Free: “so as not to”. bash ma...sh maps onto it.
Costly: “to” + bare verb. “I came to see you” doesn't say who sees; bash nshufek does: me.
Your mistake, not someone else's
English “to see” is a frozen form, so you reach for the most familiar Darija form, the one with ka-. But ka- says you're already doing it; bash is about something that hasn't happened yet.
×جِيتْ بَاشْ كَنْشُوفَكْ“I came so I see you”.
✓جِيتْ بَاشْ نْشُوفَكْ“I came to see you”.
And “for” + noun: bash l-khedma doesn't exist. l l-khedma.
Argan, tree of the south
A popular-science text written for this lesson. The facts are general knowledge: argan grows only in south-western Morocco, and the area has been a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1998.
الْأَرْكَانْ: شْجْرَة الْجّْنُوبْ
الْأَرْكَانْ شْجْرَة نَادْرَة، مَا كَتّْلْقَاشْ غِيرْ فْالْجّْنُوبْ الْغَرْبِي دْيَالْ الْمَغْرِبْ.
مْنْ 1998، الْمَنْطَقَة وَلَّاتْ مَحْمِيَّة دْيَالْ الْيُونِسْكُو، بَاشْ يْحَافْظُو عْلَى الشّْجَرْ.
بَاشْ تْخَرّْجْ الزِّيتْ، خَصّْكْ تْجْمَعْ الْغْلَّة، تْهَرْسْ الْعْضَمْ، تْطْحَنْ الزَّرْعَة وْ تْعْصَرْهَا.
هَادْ الْخْدْمَة كَتْدِيرْهَا النّْسَا، وْ بْزَّافْ مْنْهُمْ دَارُو تَعَاوُنِيَّاتْ بَاشْ يْكُونْ عَنْدْهُمْ دَخْلْ.
الزِّيتْ كَتّْسْتْعْمَلْ فْالْمَاكْلَة وْ فْالتّْجْمِيلْ، وْ كَيْصَدّْرُوهَا لْبْلَادَاتْ بْزَّافْ.
وْ الْمْعْزَة؟ كَتْطْلَعْ لْلشّْجْرَة بَاشْ تَاكُلْ الْغْلَّة. الصُّورَة مَشْهُورَة فْالدّْنْيَا كُلّْهَا.
Did you follow?
Where does argan grow?
Show answers
Only in south-western Morocco.
Why is it a UNESCO reserve?
Show answers
To protect the trees.
Why did women set up cooperatives?
Show answers
To have an income of their own.
Why does the goat climb the tree?
Show answers
To eat the fruit.
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 action with its purpose.
| 1 | جِيتْ لْلْمَغْرِبْ | a | بَاشْ يْبِيعُو بْلَا وْسِيطْ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | خْرَجْتْ بْكْرِي | b | بَاشْ نْتْعَلّْمْ الدَّارِجَة |
| 3 | دَارُو تَعَاوُنِيَّة | c | بَاشْ مَا يْدْخُلْشْ الْبَرْدْ |
| 4 | سَدّْ الشَّرْجَمْ | d | بَاشْ مَا نْتْعَطّْلْشْ |
2Join with bash
Make one sentence out of two.
- جِيتْ. بْغِيتْ نْشُوفَكْ.
- كَنْخْدَمْ. بْغِيتْ نْشْرِي دَارْ.
- سَدِّيتْ الْبَابْ. مَا بْغِيتْشْ الْقَطّْ يْدْخُلْ.
- عَيّْطْتْ لِيهْ. بْغِيتُو يْعْرَفْ.
3True or false?
According to the text.
- Argan grows only in south-western Morocco.
4Put in order
Build each sentence. No vowels.
نعاونكجيتباش
5What for?
Five sentences on why you're learning Darija, or any other plan of yours.
بَاشْبَاشْ مَاخَصّْكَنْخْدَمْ
The rest is in the B1 book
The B1 bookShow answers
| 1. Match | 1-b, 2-d, 3-a, 4-c |
|---|---|
| 2. Join with bash | جِيتْ بَاشْ نْشُوفَكْ · كَنْخْدَمْ بَاشْ نْشْرِي دَارْ · سَدِّيتْ الْبَابْ بَاشْ مَا يْدْخُلْشْ الْقَطّْ · عَيّْطْتْ لِيهْ بَاشْ يْعْرَفْ |
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 I do something for with bash.
- Say “so as not to” with bash ma...sh.
- Ask bash?
- Talk about argan and cooperatives.