Language/Moroccan-arabic/Grammar/How-to-Use-Have

Moroccan Arabic Grammar - How to Use "Have"

Hi Moroccan Arabic learners! 😊
In this lesson, we are going to learn how to use "have" in Moroccan Arabic. "Have" can be translated into "كينعني" (kayna'ni) or "عندي" (andi), and it's an important verb to know to talk about possession or to form the present perfect tense.

Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: How to use “there to be” in Moroccan Arabic & Formation of Passive Constructions.

"Have" as a Possessive Verb

In Moroccan Arabic, "have" is often used as a possessive verb. There are two forms:

• كينعني (kayna'ni)
• عندي (andi)

Both forms mean "to have" and can be used interchangeably in different situations. They are mostly used to talk about things you own or possess.

Here are some examples of how to use "have" in Moroccan Arabic:

Moroccan Arabic	Pronunciation	English
كاينعني سيارة	kayna'ni syara	I have a car
عندي شقة في الدار البيضاء	andi shqat fiddar lbida	I have an apartment in Casablanca
كاينعني مكتب ديالي	kayna'ni maktab dyali	I have my office

Notice that the word order is different in Moroccan Arabic than in English. In English, we say "I have a car," but in Moroccan Arabic, we say "kayna'ni syara" (have-I car).

Let's practice with a dialogue:

• Person 1: عندك شي طيور؟ (andi shi tyur?) (Do you have any birds?)
• Person 2: كاينعني حوت ديال طيور || kayna'ni hwat dyal tyur || I have a flock of birds

Notice that Person 2 used "kayna'ni", and not "andi", to talk about possession of birds. In this case, both forms are correct, but "kayna'ni" is more commonly used for talking about a group of things.

"Have" to Form the Present Perfect Tense

In Moroccan Arabic, we use "have" to form the present perfect tense. The present perfect is used to talk about actions that happened in the past but are still relevant or have an impact on the present.

To form the present perfect tense in Moroccan Arabic, we use the following structure:

• Subject + verb "kayna'ni" or "3endy" + past participle

Here are some examples of how to use "have" to form the present perfect tense in Moroccan Arabic:

Moroccan Arabic	Pronunciation	English
كاينعني شريت التذكرة	kayna'ni shrit attazkira	I have bought the ticket
عندي درت الواجب ديالي	andi drt elwajib dyali	I have done my homework
كاينعني فطرت سمك ديال البحر	kayna'ni ftart smak dyal lb7ar	I have eaten sea fish

Notice that the main verb is in the past participle form. In Moroccan Arabic, past participles are formed by adding "-ي" (-i) to the end of a verb's infinitive form.

Let's practice with a dialogue:

• Person 1: واش غادي تدوز الامتحان؟ (wash ghadi tdwz l'emt7an?) (Are you going to pass the exam?)
• Person 2: كاينعني درت كلشي ديال اللي كان غير باغي يخليني نتفوق || kayna'ni drt klshi dyal lli kan ghir baghi ykhlini ntfawwq || I have done everything I could to excel

Conclusion

"Have" is an important verb in Moroccan Arabic to talk about possession and to form the present perfect tense. To improve your Moroccan Arabic Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Excellent job on conquering this lesson! Consider delving into these related pages: The verb "To Come" & The verb to Get up.

Other Lessons

• Possessive Case in Moroccan Arabic
• The Ablative Case in Moroccan Arabic
• Plurals
• The Dative Case in Moroccan Arabic
• The Genitive Case in Moroccan Arabic
• The verb "To want"
• Verbs
• The verb "to sleep"
• Alphabet and Pronunciation in Moroccan Arabic
• How to Use Be