Lesson 53 · B1
Still beating copper
Still, not yet, no longer, just. Four ways of placing an action against now. Darija has all four: mazal, baqi, ma bqash and 3ad. And English already hands you the tenses.
- Say something is still going on.
- Say something hasn't happened yet.
- Say something no longer happens.
- Say you've just done something.
Twenty-two words
Aspect, and a craft: the Fez coppersmiths, who beat copper by hand.
Still, no longer
-
مَازَالْ
mazal
still
With present or participle: mazal kaykhdem.
-
بَاقِي
baqi
still; remaining
Participle of bqa, stay. Agrees: baqya, baqyin.
-
مَازَالْ مَا
mazal ma
not yet
With the past: mazal ma ja.
-
مَا بْقَاشْ
ma bqash
no longer; not any more
Negated past of bqa + present: ma bqash kaykhdem.
-
عَادْ
3ad
just
With the past: 3ad ja, he's just come.
- دِيمَا dima always
- شِي مَرَّاتْ shi merrat sometimes
The craft
-
الصّْنْعَة
s-sen3a
craft; trade
sney3i, craftsman.
-
الْمْعَلّْمْ
l-m3ellem
master (craftsman)
Same as “teacher”: the one who teaches.
-
الْمْتْعَلّْمْ
l-mt3ellem
apprentice
Form V: “one who teaches himself”.
- النّْحَايْسِي n-n7aysi coppersmith
- النّْحَاسْ n-n7as copper
- الْمَطْرْقَة l-matrqa hammer
-
الصِّينِيَّة
s-siniya
tray
The tea tray. “Chinese”: it once came from there.
- السَّاحَة s-sa7a square
Craft verbs
- ضْرَبْ dreb to beat; hit
- صْنَعْ sne3 to make; craft
-
وْرَّثْ
werret
to pass on; bequeath
Form II of “inherit”.
-
تْقَاعْدْ
tqa3ed
to retire
Form VI.
- اخْتْفَى khtfa to disappear
Hand and machine
-
الْيَدّْ
l-yedd
hand
l-yedd dyalu zwina: he's got good hands.
- الْمَاكِينَة l-makina machine
What goes on and what ends
Four sentences placing an action in time: it continues, hasn't started, has stopped, has just happened.
- بَّا عَنْدُو سَبْعِينْ عَامْ وْ مَازَالْ كَيْخْدَمْbba 3endu seb3in 3am w mazal kaykhdem
- الطُّوبِيسْ مَازَالْ مَا جَاt-tobis mazal ma ja
- مَا بْقَاشْ النَّاسْ كَيْشْرِيوْ النّْحَاسْma bqash n-nas kayshriw n-n7as
- عَادْ وْصْلْتْ، مَا زَالْ مَا كْلِيتْ3ad weslt, mazal ma klit
After mazal ma, present or past? And after ma bqash?
The rule
Still: mazal or baqi + present or participle. mazal kaykhdem, he still works; baqi saken hna, he still lives here. With a pronoun: mazalni, baqya.
Not yet: mazal ma + past. mazal ma ja, he hasn't come yet.
No longer: ma bqash (conjugated) + present. ma bqash kaykhdem, he doesn't work any more; ma bqitsh kandekhkhen, I don't smoke any more.
Just: 3ad + past. 3ad ja, he's just arrived.
Four moments
| Sentence | Say it | Means |
|---|---|---|
| مَازَالْ كَيْخْدَمْ | mazal kaykhdem | he still works |
| بَاقِي سَاكْنْ هْنَا | baqi saken hna | he still lives here |
| مَازَالْ مَا جَا | mazal ma ja | he hasn't come yet |
| مَا بْقَاشْ كَيْخْدَمْ | ma bqash kaykhdem | he no longer works |
| عَادْ جَا | 3ad ja | he's just arrived |
| مَازَالْنِي صْغِيرْ | mazalni sghir | I'm still young |
| بَاقْيَة فْالْخْدْمَة | baqya f l-khedma | she's still at work |
| مَا بْقِيتْشْ كَنْدَخّْنْ | ma bqitsh kandekhkhen | I don't smoke any more |
Rows 3 and 5: English present perfect, Darija past. That's the whole trick.
What English gives you, and what it costs
Free: the four notions, and “hasn't… yet”, “has just…” with a perfect. Darija's plain past matches your perfect here.
Free: “still + -ing”: baqi saken, still living.
Costly: “any more” at the end. Darija puts the “no longer” at the front, on a verb: ma bqash.
Your mistake, not someone else's
Casual English says “he's not coming yet” with a present. Put across, it sounds like “he doesn't come yet” as a habit.
×مَازَالْ مَا كَيْجِيشْPresent after mazal ma.
✓مَازَالْ مَا جَا“He hasn't come yet”.
And ma bqash conjugates: ma bqitsh (I), ma bqatsh (she), ma bqawsh (they).
Still beating copper
A short feature written for this lesson. The coppersmiths' square in Fez is real; Master Idris is not. Look for mazal, ma bqash and 3ad.
بَاقِي كَيْضْرَبْ النّْحَاسْ
فْسَاحَة الصّْفَّارِينْ فْفَاسْ، الْمْعَلّْمْ إِدْرِيسْ عَنْدُو اتْنِينْ وْ سَبْعِينْ عَامْ وْ مَازَالْ كَيْخْدَمْ كُلّْ نْهَارْ.
بَّاهْ وَرّْتُو الصّْنْعَة. «بْدِيتْ مْلِّي كَانْ عَنْدِي تْنَاشْ الْعَامْ، وْ مَازَالْ مَا تْقَاعْدْتْشْ.»
«زْمَانْ كَانُو هْنَا خَمْسِينْ نْحَايْسِي. دَابَا مَا بْقَاوْشْ غِيرْ شِي عَشْرَة.»
«الشّْبَابْ مَا بْقَاوْشْ بَاغْيِينْ يْتْعَلّْمُو. الْمَاكِينَة وَلَّاتْ كَتْصْنَعْ كُلّْشِي.»
وَلَكِنْ عَنْدُو مْتْعَلّْمْ: حْفِيدُو، عَادْ بْدَا هَادْ الْعَامْ.
«مَازَالْ صْغِيرْ، وَلَكِنْ الْيَدّْ دْيَالُو زْوِينَة. الصّْنْعَة مَازَالْ مَا مَاتَتْشْ.»
Did you follow?
How old is Idris, and what does he still do?
Show answers
Seventy-two; he still works every day.
Has he retired?
Show answers
Not yet: mazal ma tqa3edtsh.
How many coppersmiths are left?
Show answers
About ten; there used to be fifty.
Who is the apprentice?
Show answers
His grandson, who has just started this year.
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.
1Fill in
With the expression from the box each sentence needs. No vowels.
مازالمازال ماما بقاشعاد
- جدتي ___ ساكنة فالدوار
- الأكل ___ وجد، تسنى شوية
- خويا ___ كيدخن، حبس
- ___ خرج، مازال قريب
2True or false?
According to the feature.
- Idris is seventy-two and still works.
- He started at twenty.
- There used to be fifty coppersmiths in the square.
- He has no apprentice.
3Sum it up
Say the same with mazal, mazal ma, ma bqash or 3ad.
- كَانْ كَيْخْدَمْ، وْ دَابَا كَيْخْدَمْ.
4Pick the right one
Only one is correct.
- مَازَالْ مَا جَا
- مَازَالْ مَا كَيْجِيشْ
- مَازَالْ مَا غَادِي يْجِي
5Your life now
Five sentences: what you still do, no longer do, haven't done yet, have just done.
مَازَالْمَازَالْ مَامَا بْقِيتْشْعَادْ
The rest is in the B1 book
The B1 bookShow answers
| 1. Fill in | مازال · مازال ما · ما بقاش · عاد |
|---|---|
| 2. True or false? | 1-True, 2-False, 3-True, 4-False |
The B1 book: In preparation
Write and I will tell you the day it is out. One email, no list.
I can now
- Say “still” with mazal and baqi.
- Say “not yet” with mazal ma + past.
- Say “no longer” with ma bqash.
- Say “just” with 3ad.