Lesson 55 · B1

I dreamt by you

Think about: fekker f, “think in”. Dream of: 7lem b, “dream by”. Look for: qelleb 3la, “turn over on”. English has its prepositional verbs; so does Darija. They just rarely use the same preposition.

Use twenty common verbs with their preposition.
Know which match English and which don't.
See how a preposition changes meaning: d7ek 3la / d7ek m3a.
Follow a chat between two friends.

Twenty-four words

Grouped by preposition: 3la, then f, b, m3a, mn, and finally verbs that take none although English does.

With 3la

قَلّْبْ عْلَى qelleb 3la to look for
“Turn over on”. English “for” is 3la here.
سْوّْلْ عْلَى sewwel 3la to ask about
تّْكَلْ عْلَى ttkel 3la to rely on
“On” matches: 3la.
ضْحَكْ عْلَى d7ek 3la to laugh at; to trick
d7ek 3liya also means “he tricked me”.
تْقَلّْقْ عْلَى tqelleq 3la to worry about

With f

فَكّْرْ فْ fekker f to think about
“Think in”.
شَافْ فْ shaf f to look at
shuf fiya, look at me: “look in me”.
تّْيْقْ فْ tteyyeq f to believe in; trust
“In” matches.
طْمَعْ فْ tme3 f to covet; be greedy for

With b

حْلَمْ بْ 7lem b to dream of
“Of” is b.
حَسّْ بْ 7ess b to feel
Lesson 21.
عَيّْطْ عْلَى 3eyyet 3la to call (someone)
Variant of 3eyyet l, lesson 28.
بْدَا بْ bda b to start with

With m3a

دْوَى مْعَ dwa m3a to talk with
Matches.
تّْفَاهْمْ مْعَ ttfahem m3a to get on with; agree with
Matches.
ضْحَكْ مْعَ d7ek m3a to laugh with
Versus d7ek 3la: the preposition changes everything.
تْزَوّْجْ بْ tzewwej b to marry
With b: English takes no preposition.

With mn

خَافْ مْنْ khaf mn to be afraid of
“Of” is mn, “from”.
عْيَا مْنْ 3ya mn to be tired of
هْرَبْ مْنْ hreb mn to run away from
Matches.

No preposition

تْسَنَّى tsenna to wait for
Direct: tsennitek. English “for” has no equivalent.
عَاوْنْ 3awen to help
Direct, lesson 42.
سْمَعْ لْ sme3 l to listen to
With l-, “to”: matches.
شْكَرْ shker to thank
Direct.

Each verb with its preposition

Four sentences. Three have a preposition after the verb; one doesn't, though English would.

كَنْقَلّْبْ عْلَى السَّارُوتْ مْنْ الصّْبَاحْkanqelleb 3la s-sarut mn s-sba7
دِيمَا كَتْفَكّْرْ فْوْلَادْهَاdima katfekker f wladha
مَا تّْكَلْشْ عْلِيهْ، مَا غَادِيشْ يْجِيma ttkelsh 3lih, ma ghadish yji
تْسَنِّيتْكْ سَاعَةtsennitek sa3a

Which preposition goes with each verb? Is it the English one?

The rule

Many verbs take a fixed preposition, learnt with the verb. Some match English: dwa m3a, talk with; ttkel 3la, rely on; sme3 l, listen to.

Many don't: fekker f, think about (“in”); 7lem b, dream of (“by”); qelleb 3la, look for (“on”); khaf mn, afraid of (“from”).

Some English prepositional verbs go direct in Darija: tsenna, wait for; and some direct English verbs take one: tzewwej b, marry.

The preposition can change the meaning: d7ek 3la, laugh at; d7ek m3a, laugh with.

Verb and preposition

Sentence	Say it	Means
كَنْقَلّْبْ عْلَى الْخْدْمَة	kanqelleb 3la l-khedma	I'm looking for work
كَنْفَكّْرْ فِيكْ	kanfekker fik	I think about you
حْلْمْتْ بِيكْ	7lemt bik	I dreamt of you
دْوِيتْ مْعَاهْ	dwit m3ah	I talked with him
ضْحْكُو عْلِيَّ	de7ku 3liya	they laughed at me
ضْحْكُو مْعَايَا	de7ku m3aya	they laughed with me
كَنْخَافْ مْنْ الْكْلَابْ	kankhaf mn l-klab	I'm afraid of dogs
تْسَنِّيتُو	tsennitu	I waited for him

Row 8: English “for”, Darija nothing. Rows 5–6: same verb, opposite meaning.

What English gives you, and what it costs

Free: the habit. English learners of English memorise “look for”, “rely on”, “think about” as units; you already think this way.

Free: a handful of matches: talk with, rely on, listen to, laugh at / with.

Costly: most others. “About” becomes “in”, “of” becomes “by” or “from”, “for” becomes “on” or nothing.

Your mistake, not someone else's

“Wait for” has a “for”, so you look for a Darija “for”, l-. tsenna takes nothing.

×تْسَنِّيتْ لِيكْ سَاعَة“I waited for you an hour”, calqued with l-.

✓تْسَنِّيتْكْ سَاعَة“I waited for you an hour”. Direct.

And “think about” with 3la, from “about”: fekker f.

Waiting for a call

A chat between two friends, written for this lesson and built to use almost every pair. Count them.

لَيْلَى: مَالْكْ؟ كَتْشُوفِي فْالتِّيلِيفُونْ كُلّْ دْقِيقَة.

نَادْيَة: كَنْتْسَنَّى أَمِينْ. قَالْ لِيَّ غَادِي يْعَيّْطْ عْلِيَّ.

لَيْلَى: أَمِينْ؟ مَا تّْكَلِيشْ عْلِيهْ. الْعَامْ لِّي فَاتْ ضْحَكْ عْلَى خْتِي.

نَادْيَة: لَا، هَادْ الْمَرَّة تْبَدّْلْ. دْوِينَا مْعَ بْعْضْنَا مْزْيَانْ، وْ تّْفَاهْمْنَا.

لَيْلَى: وَاشْ كَتْفَكّْرِي فِيهْ بْزَّافْ؟

نَادْيَة: الْبَارَحْ حْلْمْتْ بِيهْ. عْيِيتْ مْنْ التّْسَنِّي.

لَيْلَى: صَافِي، أَنَا غَادِي نْبْقَى مْعَاكْ حْتَّى يْعَيّْطْ. وْ إِلَا مَا عَيّْطْشْ، نْضْحْكُو عْلِيهْ حْنَا.

Layla and Nadia

Did you follow?

What is Nadia waiting for?
Show answers
For Amin to call.
Why doesn't Layla trust him?
Show answers
Last year he tricked her sister: d7ek 3la khti.
What did Nadia dream of?
Show answers
Amin: 7lemt bih.
What does Layla suggest if he doesn't call?
Show answers
They laugh at him: nde7ku 3lih 7na.

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.

1The preposition

The one each verb needs. No vowels.

علىفبمعمن

كنقلب ___ البورطابل ديالي
ديما كنفكر ___ مي
حلمت ___ البحر
دويت ___ المدير
كتخاف ___ القطوط

2Match

Each verb with what usually follows it.

1	كَنْقَلّْبْ عْلَى	a	الْبْحَرْ وْ الشّْمْشْ
2	كَنْفَكّْرْ فْ	b	السَّارُوتْ لِّي تّْلَفْ لِيَّ
3	حْلْمْتْ بْ	c	الْكْلَابْ الْكْبَارْ
4	كَنْخَافْ مْنْ	d	الْمُسْتَقْبَلْ دْيَالْ وْلَادِي

3True or false?

According to the chat.

Nadia is waiting for Amin's call.

The rest is in the B1 book

3 more items, with the answers.

The B1 book

4Sort

Which preposition does each verb take?

قَلّْبْ

3la

f

b

mn

The rest is in the B1 book

11 more items, with the answers.

The B1 book

5A search

Six sentences about something you're looking for (a home, a job, someone), using the verbs in the box.

قَلّْبْ عْلَىفَكّْرْ فْحْلَمْ بْدْوَى مْعَخَافْ مْنْتْسَنَّى

The rest is in the B1 book

The B1 book

Show answers

1. The preposition	على · ف · ب · مع · من
2. Match	1-b, 2-d, 3-a, 4-c

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 twenty verbs with their preposition.
Know which ones match English.
Wait for and thank someone with no preposition.
Tell d7ek 3la from d7ek m3a.