Darija verb conjugation: 15 verbs you'll use every day

Darija verb conjugation is simpler than Modern Standard Arabic, but it still has structure. There are patterns. Once you see them, conjugating new verbs stops being memorization and starts being prediction. Two tenses handle 95% of conversation: past (what happened) and present (what's happening or what you habitually do). The future is built from the present with "ghadi" stuck in front. Imperatives are usually just the bare root.

This guide breaks down how Darija verbs actually work under the hood, gives you full conjugation tables for the 15 most common verbs, and then goes deeper into tense formation, negation, irregular verbs, and common phrases you'll hear every day on the street.

How Darija verb roots work

Like all Arabic-derived languages, Darija builds verbs from consonant roots. Most roots have three consonants. The verb "kteb" (to write) comes from the root K-T-B. The verb "khroj" (to go out) comes from Kh-R-J. The vowels between the consonants change depending on the tense and the person, but the consonants stay. This is the skeleton of the system.

Three-letter roots are the foundation. "Sma3" (listen) = S-M-3. "Ghsel" (wash) = Gh-S-L. "Chaf" (see) = Ch-A-F. When you learn a new Darija verb, identify the root consonants first. The rest follows from patterns you already know.

There are also derived forms, though Darija uses fewer than MSA. The most common is the causative/intensive form where a middle consonant gets doubled. "3llem" (to teach) is a derived form of "3lem" (to know). "Ferr7" (to make happy) relates to "fer7" (to be happy). You don't need to memorize these categories. Just notice the pattern when you encounter it.

Some verbs have four root consonants: "terjm" (to translate), "bergeg" (to flash/shine). These follow slightly different vowel patterns but the same suffix and prefix logic applies.

The big 15

Here are the 15 verbs you'll conjugate most often, with full tables. I'm showing three persons for past (I, you, he) and two for present (I, he) because that covers most real conversations.

Verb	I (past)	You (past)	He (past)	I (present)	He (present)	Command
mcha (go)	mchit	mchiti	mcha	kan-emchi	kay-emchi	sir!
ja (come)	jit	jiti	ja	kan-eji	kay-eji	aji!
kul (eat)	klit	kliti	kla	kan-akul	kay-akul	kul!
gal (say)	gelt	gelti	gal	kan-egul	kay-egul	gul!
dir (do/make)	dert	derti	dar	kan-edir	kay-edir	dir!
bgha (want)	bghit	bghiti	bgha	kan-ebghi	kay-ebghi	bghi!
chaf (see)	cheft	chefti	chaf	kan-echuf	kay-echuf	chuf!
sma3 (listen)	sma3t	sma3ti	sma3	ka-nesma3	ka-yesma3	sma3!
chra (buy)	chrit	chriti	chra	kan-echri	kay-echri	chri!
3ref (know)	3reft	3refti	3ref	ka-ne3ref	ka-ye3ref	3ref!
7ell (open)	7ellt	7ellti	7ell	kan-e7ell	kay-e7ell	7ell!
sedd (close)	seddit	sedditi	sedd	kan-esedd	kay-esedd	sedd!
ghsel (wash)	ghselt	ghselti	ghsel	ka-neghsel	ka-yeghsel	ghsel!
la3b (play)	l3ebt	l3ebti	l3eb	kan-el3eb	kay-el3eb	l3eb!
tsenna (wait)	tsennit	tsenniti	tsenna	kan-etsenna	kay-etsenna	tsenna!

Past tense formation in detail

Past tense is the easiest tense in Darija. Take the verb root and add a suffix that tells you who performed the action. No auxiliary verbs. No compound constructions. Just root + suffix. For a deeper walkthrough, see our past tense guide.

The six suffixes you need:

Person	Suffix	Example: kul (eat)	Example: kteb (write)
I	-t	klit	ktebt
You (m/f)	-ti	kliti	ktebti
He	(nothing)	kla	kteb
She	-at	klat	ketbat
We	-na	klina	ktebna
They	-u	klau	ketbu

Notice how the root vowels can shift. "Kul" becomes "klit" in the first person because the vowel between K and L changes from U to I when you add the -t suffix. The "he" form often has a different vowel than the "I" form: kla vs klit, dar vs dert, gal vs gelt. This vowel shift is the one irregular thing about past tense, and you pick it up fast because you hear these forms constantly.

Regular three-consonant verbs like "kteb" (write), "ghsel" (wash), and "sma3" (listen) barely change their vowels at all. Kteb, ktebt, ktebti, ktebna, ketbu. Predictable. The hollow verbs with a long vowel in the middle (like "gal," "dar," "chaf") are the ones that shift. There aren't many of them and they're all high-frequency, so you'll memorize them through exposure rather than study.

Present tense and the ka-/kat- prefix system

Present tense in Darija needs two things: a personal prefix that says who's doing it, and the "ka-" marker that signals an ongoing or habitual action. The personal prefixes go between "ka-" and the verb root.

Here's the full breakdown:

Person	Prefix	Example: kteb (write)	Example: kul (eat)
I	ka-n-	ka-nekteb	ka-nakul
You (m)	ka-t-	ka-tekteb	ka-takul
You (f)	ka-t-...-i	ka-tektbi	ka-takli
He	ka-y-	ka-yekteb	ka-yakul
She	ka-t-	ka-tekteb	ka-takul
We	ka-n-...-u	ka-nektbu	ka-naklu
They	ka-y-...-u	ka-yektbu	ka-yaklu

The "ka-" marker is specifically Darija. MSA doesn't use it. In some regions of Morocco, you'll hear "ta-" instead of "ka-" -- this is common in the north around Tangier and Tetouan. Same function, different sound. Both are correct.

When "ka-" combines with "te-" (you/she), you often hear it contracted to "kat-." So "ka-tekteb" becomes "katekteb" in fast speech. Similarly, "ka-ye-" becomes "kay-" and "ka-ne-" becomes "kan-." These contractions are what you see in the table above and what you'll hear on the street.

One important thing: when Moroccans want to express ability or a subjunctive (I want to..., I can..., I need to...), they drop the "ka-" prefix and just use the personal prefix + verb. "Bghit nemchi" (I want to go) -- notice "nemchi" has no "ka-" because it's not a habitual action, it's a desire. More on this in the phrases section below.

Future tense with ghadi

Future tense in Darija is not a separate conjugation. It's a construction: take "ghadi" (going to) and put the present tense form after it, but without the "ka-" prefix. That's it.

Person	Future form	Translation
I	ghadi nemchi	I'm going to go
You (m)	ghadi temchi	you're going to go
He	ghadi yemchi	he's going to go
She	ghadi temchi	she's going to go
We	ghadi nemchiw	we're going to go
They	ghadi yemchiw	they're going to go

In casual speech, "ghadi" often gets shortened to "gha" or even just "gh-" attached to the verb. "Gha-nemchi" instead of "ghadi nemchi." You'll also hear "ghay-" for "he will": "ghay-emchi" (he'll go), "ghay-akul" (he'll eat). This is standard spoken Darija, not slang.

Some speakers in Casablanca and Rabat use "radi" instead of "ghadi." Same meaning. "Radi nemchi" = "ghadi nemchi." If you stick with "ghadi," everyone understands you everywhere in Morocco.

Negation: the ma...sh sandwich

Darija negates verbs by wrapping them in "ma-" at the start and "-sh" at the end. This applies to every tense. No exceptions. It's one of the most consistent rules in the language.

Past tense negation:

"Mchit" (I went) becomes "ma-mchit-sh" (I didn't go).

"Kla" (he ate) becomes "ma-kla-sh" (he didn't eat).

"Chafna" (we saw) becomes "ma-chafna-sh" (we didn't see).

Present tense negation:

"Ka-nakul" (I eat) becomes "ma-ka-nakul-sh" (I don't eat). In fast speech, the "ka-" often drops in the negative: "ma-nakul-sh."

"Ka-yekteb" (he writes) becomes "ma-ka-yekteb-sh" or just "ma-yekteb-sh."

Future tense negation:

"Ghadi nemchi" (I'll go) becomes "ma-ghadi-sh nemchi" (I won't go). Notice the sandwich wraps around "ghadi," not the verb.

The sandwich applies to non-verb words too. "Mashi howa" (it's not him). "Ma-3end-i-sh flous" (I don't have money). Once you internalize the ma...sh pattern, negation in Darija becomes automatic.

Irregular verbs that break the mold

Most Darija verbs follow the patterns above. But a handful of very common verbs are irregular, and since they're the ones you'll use most, you need to learn them individually.

ja (come) is one of the weirdest. It only has two root consonants (J and a semivowel). Past: jit, jiti, ja, jat, jina, jaw. Present: kan-eji, kat-eji, kay-eji. The imperative isn't "ji" -- it's "aji!" which has a prefixed A that appears from nowhere. You just have to know it.

mcha (go) has a completely different imperative: "sir!" The command form shares nothing with the root "mcha." This isn't unique to Darija -- French does the same thing with "aller" and "va." The past forms are regular (mchit, mchiti, mcha), but the present tense root changes to "-emchi" with the personal prefixes.

kla (eat) shifts its root vowel dramatically. Past "he" form is "kla" but "I" form is "klit" -- the L-A of the root becomes L-I. Present tense goes to "kan-akul" which looks nothing like "kla." The imperative is "kul!" Three different-looking forms for the same verb.

gal (say) follows a similar pattern. "Gal" in past becomes "gelt" for "I said." Present tense shifts to "kan-egul." Imperative is "gul!" Again, vowel changes across all three tenses.

dar (do/make) does it too. "Dar" (he did), "dert" (I did), "kan-edir" (I do), "dir!" (do it!). The root consonants D-R stay, but everything between them moves.

The pattern with all these irregular verbs: they're "hollow" verbs where the middle of the root is a long vowel instead of a consonant. That vowel is unstable and shifts between A, I, and U depending on the tense. After a few weeks of exposure, you stop thinking about it. Your mouth just knows that "klit" and "kla" and "nakul" are the same verb.

Common verb phrases and collocations

Darija verbs rarely stand alone in conversation. They appear in set phrases and collocations that Moroccans use dozens of times a day. Learning these combinations is faster than learning verbs in isolation.

bghit + verb (I want to...): "Bghit nemchi" (I want to go). "Bghit nakul" (I want to eat). "Bghit nchri" (I want to buy). The verb after "bghit" has no "ka-" prefix -- just the bare personal prefix + root. This is the subjunctive in action, even though nobody calls it that.

khss-ni + verb (I need to...): "Khssni ndir" (I need to do). "Khssni nemchi" (I need to go). "Khssk tji" (you need to come). "Khss" changes its suffix depending on who needs: khssni (I need), khssk (you need), khsso (he needs), khssha (she needs).

3end-i / ma-3end-i-sh (I have / I don't have): "3endi l-wqt" (I have time). "Ma-3endi-sh flous" (I don't have money). Technically "3end" isn't a verb but it conjugates like one: 3endi (I have), 3endek (you have), 3endo (he has).

yallah + verb (let's...): "Yallah nemchiw!" (let's go!). "Yallah naklu!" (let's eat!). Used constantly. "Yallah" by itself means "come on" or "hurry up."

qder + verb (can/able to): "Neqder nemchi" (I can go). "Ma-neqder-sh nakul" (I can't eat). The present form with "ka-" is "ka-neqder" but in these compound constructions the "ka-" drops from the second verb.

bda + ka- verb (started to...): "Bdit ka-nekteb" (I started writing). "Bda ka-yakul" (he started eating). The second verb keeps its "ka-" here because the action is ongoing.

How Darija verbs differ from MSA

If you've studied Modern Standard Arabic, Darija will feel familiar but also alien. The root system is the same. The basic suffixes for past tense are recognizable. But the differences are significant enough that you can't just "speak MSA slowly" and be understood in Morocco.

The biggest difference is the present tense marker. MSA doesn't have "ka-." The present tense in MSA is unmarked or uses the prefix "ya-" / "ta-" alone. Darija's "ka-" prefix is a Moroccan innovation that distinguishes habitual present from subjunctive. This single feature trips up MSA speakers more than anything else.

Darija drops most of the short vowels that MSA pronounces. MSA "kataba" (he wrote) becomes Darija "kteb." MSA "yaktubu" (he writes) becomes Darija "ka-yekteb." The consonant clusters that result can be intimidating at first. Three or four consonants smashed together with no vowel between them. Your mouth adjusts after a week or two.

MSA has a dual form for two people. Darija doesn't. If two people went, you just use the plural: "mchaw" (they went), not a special dual form.

MSA has ten derived verb forms (Forms II through X). Darija uses maybe four of them regularly, and some have shifted meaning. Form V in MSA (reflexive) appears in Darija as "t-" prefix verbs, but not systematically. The takeaway: MSA knowledge helps with vocabulary recognition but hurts with grammar expectations. Treat them as cousin languages, not dialects of the same language.

Five sentences using different tenses

Here are real sentences that show how these tenses work together in natural speech:

Practice tips for memorizing conjugations

Don't try to memorize conjugation tables. Seriously. Tables are reference material, not learning material. Instead, pick one verb and use it in every tense in a single sentence about your day. "Klit f-sba7" (I ate this morning). "Daba ka-nakul" (now I'm eating). "Ghadi nakul f-l-3chiya" (I'll eat in the evening). "Ma-klit-sh l-7ut" (I didn't eat fish). One verb, four forms, one minute.

Listen for the patterns in real speech. When you hear a Moroccan say "mchit," your brain should automatically file it as past-first-person. When you hear "ka-yekteb," parse it: ka (present marker) + ye (he) + kteb (write). Break it down in real time until the parsing becomes unconscious.

Focus on the "I" and "he" forms first. Those two cover most of what you need to say and most of what you'll hear. Add "you" next. Then "we." "She" and "they" can wait until you're already comfortable with the first four.

Speak from day one. Get the conjugation wrong. Moroccans will understand you anyway and they'll gently correct you. A Moroccan hearing "ana mcha l-souk" (I... he went... to the market) will know you mean "mchit l-souk" and will either understand silently or say the correct form back to you. Both outcomes are learning.

Practice conjugation with audio at darija.love.

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