Moroccan Darija Imperative: How to Give Commands

The imperative ("do it!") is built from the present stem. There are three forms: to a man, to a woman and to a group.

Making the imperative

Take the bare present for nta, nti or ntuma and drop the t- prefix:

• كتب سميتك هناkteb smitek hnaWrite your name here. (to a man)
• شوفي هاديshufi hadiLook at this. (to a woman)
• تسناو شويةtsennaw shwiyaWait a bit. (to a group)

Common irregular commands

Don't…

A negative command uses ma + the full present + -sh:

• ما تكتبشma tktebshDon't write. (to a man)
• ما تنسايشma tnsayshDon't forget. (to a woman)