Language/Standard-moroccan-tamazight/Grammar/Irregular-Future-Tense-Verbs
Irregular Future Tense Verbs
In Tamazight, there are some verbs that exhibit irregular conjugations in the future tense. These verbs must be memorized individually, as the rules that govern their conjugation differ from regular verbs.
High Frequency Irregular Future Tense Verbs
The following is a list of high frequency irregular future tense verbs in Tamazight:
| Standard Moroccan Tamazight | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| wass | /waːs/ | will come |
| ila | /ila/ | will go |
| ttaf | /ttæf/ | will take |
| mmi | /mmi/ | will pass/ will happen |
Conjugating High Frequency Irregular Future Tense Verbs
To conjugate these verbs in the future tense, we must first remove the final consonant of the root of the verb. We then add the appropriate future tense endings:
| Person | Singular Pronoun | Plural Pronoun | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Person | Kan | Kan-n / Kin-n | I will... |
| 2nd Person Masculine | Kat | Kat-t / Kit-t | You will (m)... |
| 2nd Person Feminine | Kti | Kti-tt / Kiti-tt | You will (f)... |
| 3rd Person Masculine | Kayn | Kayn-n / Kinn-n | He will... |
| 3rd Person Feminine | Kat | Kat-t / Kit-t | She will... |
| 1st Person Plural | Kanu | Kanu-n / Kinu-n | We will... |
| 2nd Person Plural | Katu | Katu-tt / Kitu-tt | You all will... |
| 3rd Person Plural | Kayu | Kayu-n / Kinn-u-n | They will... |
Low Frequency Irregular Future Tense Verbs
The following is a list of low frequency irregular future tense verbs in Tamazight:
| Standard Moroccan Tamazight | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| nni | /nni/ | will do / will make |
| tti | /tti/ | will put |
| ssa | /ssa/ | will give |
| ɛɛya | /ʕaːja/ | will stay |
| zzo | /zzo/ | will leave |
Conjugating Low Frequency Irregular Future Tense Verbs
The conjugation of these verbs in the future tense is based on the same principle as the high frequency irregular future tense verbs: removing the final consonant of the root of the verb and adding the appropriate future tense endings.
Below is a table illustrating the conjugation pattern for low frequency irregular future tense verbs:
| Person | Singular Pronoun | Plural Pronoun | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Person | Kan + verb | Kan-n / Kin-n + verb | I will... |
| 2nd Person Masculine | Kat + verb | Kat-t / Kit-t + verb | You will (m)... |
| 2nd Person Feminine | Kti + verb | Kti-tt / Kiti-tt + verb | You will (f)... |
| 3rd Person Masculine | Kayn + verb | Kayn-n / Kinn-n + verb | He will... |
| 3rd Person Feminine | Kat + verb | Kat-t / Kit-t + verb | She will... |
| 1st Person Plural | Kanu + verb | Kanu-n / Kinu-n + verb | We will... |
| 2nd Person Plural | Katu + verb | Katu-tt / Kitu-tt + verb | You all will... |
| 3rd Person Plural | Kayu + verb | Kayu-n / Kinn-u-n + verb | They will... |
Examples
Below are examples of irregular future tense verbs used in context:
- Kan-wass-i-d
(I will come tomorrow) - Kat-tili-ya-gli-k
(You will tell me about it) - Kayn-ssi-yyi-mlul-i
(He will teach me) - Kat-ssa-llix-u
(She will give them to you)
Low frequency irregular future tense verbs:
- Kan-ni-kki-ru-n
(We will make it work) - Kat-ti-ddu-nn
(You will put them down) - Kayn-ɛɛya-tt-fex
(She will stay here) - Kan-zzu-ru-tt
(We will leave soon)