Darija Future Tense
How the Future Is Marked
Darija builds the future with the marker 'ghadi' (going to) placed before the verb. Unlike the present, the verb itself drops the ka- prefix and uses the plain imperfect stem with its person prefix.
So 'kanemchi' (I go) becomes 'ghadi nemchi' (I will go). The 'ghadi' acts like the English 'going to', signaling that the action has not happened yet.
Conjugating with ghadi
The verb after 'ghadi' keeps its person prefix: 'ghadi nemchi' (I will go), 'ghadi temchi' (you will go), 'ghadi yemchi' (he will go), 'ghadi temchi' (she will go), 'ghadi nemchiw' (we will go), 'ghadi temchiw' (you plural will go), 'ghadi yemchiw' (they will go).
Notice that 'ghadi' stays the same while the verb changes for each person. This makes the future easy: learn the present prefixes, drop ka-, and add ghadi.
Gender Agreement of ghadi
Many speakers make 'ghadi' agree with the subject. 'Ghadi' is masculine singular, 'ghadya' is feminine singular, and 'ghadyin' is plural. So a woman might say 'ghadya nemchi' (I will go), while a group says 'ghadyin nemchiw'.
This agreement is optional in casual speech, where invariable 'ghadi' is common, but using it correctly makes you sound more natural and fluent.
The Short Form gha-
In fast speech, 'ghadi' often shrinks to 'gha-' and attaches to the verb: 'ghanemchi' (I will go), 'ghatemchi' (you will go), 'ghayemchi' (he will go). This is extremely common in everyday conversation.
Both 'ghadi nemchi' and 'ghanemchi' are correct and mean the same thing. The short form simply sounds quicker and more relaxed.
Negating the Future
To negate the future, you typically negate 'ghadi' itself: 'ma ghadich nemchi' (I will not go). The ma-...-ch wraps around 'ghadi', not the main verb.
Alternatively, with the short form you can say 'ma ghaymchich' for 'he will not go'. Both keep the recognizable ma-...-ch sandwich that defines Darija negation.
Future Time Expressions
Pair the future with time words for precision: 'ghedda' (tomorrow), 'men be3d' (later), 'l-usbou3 jay' (next week), or 'daba daba' (in a moment). 'Ghedda ghadi nemchi l-Rabat' means 'tomorrow I will go to Rabat'.
These expressions remove any ambiguity and let listeners know exactly when you plan to act, which is especially helpful when 'ghadi' is shortened to gha-.
| English | Darija | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| I will go | ghadi nemchi | ุบุงุฏู ูู ุดู |
| He will go | ghadi yemchi | ุบุงุฏู ูู ุดู |
| I will go (short) | ghanemchi | ุบูู ุดู |
| She will go | ghadya temchi | ุบุงุฏูุฉ ุชู ุดู |
| They will go | ghadyin yemchiw | ุบุงุฏููู ูู ุดูู |
| I will not go | ma ghadich nemchi | ู ุง ุบุงุฏูุด ูู ุดู |
Examples
FAQ
What word marks the future in Darija?
The word 'ghadi' (going to), often shortened to 'gha-', is placed before the verb to express the future, as in 'ghadi nemchi' (I will go).
Does 'ghadi' change with gender?
Yes, optionally. It becomes 'ghadya' for feminine singular and 'ghadyin' for plural, though invariable 'ghadi' is common in casual speech.
How do I negate the future?
Wrap 'ghadi' in ma-...-ch, as in 'ma ghadich nemchi' (I will not go), keeping the standard Darija negation structure.
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