Moroccan Arabic Lesson: The Future Tense

The Future Tense


In Moroccan Arabic future actions are expressed using the particle ghadi - غادي - or the prefix gha-غ-These are always used with present verbs, causing them to lose their t or k prefix:

غادي نشري شي بلغة قبل ما نمشي في حالي
ghadi nshri shi belgha qbl ma nimshi f 7ali

I'm going to buy some belgha (Moroccan leather slippers) before I leave [the country].

غندوز عند صحبي مر العصر
ghandouz 3nd sa7bi murr la3sr

I'm going to visit my friend after 'Asr prayer.

There are two ways to negate the future tense. If you use ghadi, just negate it with ma and sh:

ماغاديش نسمعك
maghadish nsma3k

I'm not going to listen to you.

If you use gha as a prefix, then you must negate it and the verb it's attached too:

ماغنخلّصكش
maghankhallisiksh


I'm not going to pay you.


The Future Perfect

The Future Perfect describes an action that will occur in the future for a certain period of time. This is expressed using ghadi, kana in the present tense and the verb describing the intended action in the past tense:

غادي نكون عايطت له قبل ما تشوفه
ghadi nkon 3ayyitt lo qbl ma tshofo

I will have called him before you see him.

To convey a progressive future action place the final verb in the present tense:

غادي نكون نحضر معك ل ساعتين بعد شي شويا
ghadi nkon nhdr ma3k l sa3atain ba3d shi shwiya

I will have been talking to you for two hours in a short while.

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