8. Useful Words: Prepositions, Numbers, Adjectives
The essential building blocks to construct concrete sentences.
To go further, you need a few common prepositions, numbers from 1 to 10, and a small stock of adjectives. This is the vocabulary that comes up most often in daily conversations.
8.1. Essential prepositions
| Kabyle | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
deg | in | deg wexxam — in the house |
ɣer | towards, to | ɣer wexxam — towards the house |
ɣur | at (possession) | ɣur-i — at my place (I have) |
s | with, by | s tqeddičt — with a knife |
ɣef | on | ɣef tdabut — on the table |
seg | from, since | seg wass-a — since today |
gar | between | gar yergazen — between the men |
zdat | in front of | zdat wexxam — in front of the house |
deffir | behind | deffir wexxam — behind the house |
8.2. Numbers 1 to 10
| Number | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
1 | yiwen | yiwet |
2 | sin | snat |
3 | kraḍ | kraḍ |
4 | kkuẓ | kkuẓ |
5 | semmus | semmus |
6 | sḍis | sḍis |
7 | sa | sa |
8 | tam | tam |
9 | tẓa | tẓa |
10 | mraw | mraw |
8.3. Common adjectives
| Kabyle | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
ameqqran | big | axxam ameqqran — a big house |
amecṭuḥ | small | aqcic amecṭuḥ — a small boy |
azegzaw | green | izeɣwazegzawen — light green |
azeggwaɣ | red | tazeggwaɣt — (a) red one |
aberkan | black | argaz aberkan — a black man |
amellal | white | tamellalt — (a) white one |
8.4. In context
Practice
60 sentences · 539 matchesYiwen deg-sen ur yelli dina.
Yiwet deg-sent ur telli dina.
Γriɣ taqsiṭ-a deg yiwen udlis.
Yečča-t yiwen uɣucaf deg uḍar.
Igezzem ttjur deg yiwen wedrar.
Deg tegrest igenni d aberkan.
Azgen ameqqran seg idrimen-nni ttwaṣerrfen.
Yiwen wergaz deg-s d amaẓul.
Yiwet n teqcict deg-m weḥd-s.
Ur ttaḍsa ara seg tuccḍa-w.
Yesdukkel snat tiktiwin deg yiwet.
Ԑecqen deg yiwet n teqcict.
Aql-aɣ deg yiwet n tḥeṣṣilt.
Nekni seg yiwet n tseddawit.
Aql-aɣ tura deg sin kan.
Yiwen seg imyurar-nni yekkes taqemǧet-is.
Yiwen ur yelli deg taddart.
Ilaq ad iruḥ yiwen deg-neɣ.
Nesεa deg-sen kuẓ-temrawin d semmus.
Ad teḥḍer yiwet seg-nteɣ timlilit-nni.
Yiwen n ṣṣenf deg-s weḥd-s.
Lqaεa d yiwen seg imtiwag.
Yiwen ur yelli deg uxxam.
Tzemreḍ ad textireḍ yiwen seg-sen.
Yiwet ur yi-teεǧib seg tugniwin-a.
Iluεa-yi-d yiwen ubeṛṛani deg lkaṛ
Tlata deg-sent kan i yeddren.
Yiwen ur t-tuɣ deg tebḥirt.
Yiwen ur yelli deg tebḥirt.
Yeṭṭef-d yiwen weblaɣ d ameqqran.
Rewlen rebεa seg tlata-uεecrin-nni yettwaṭṭfen.
Yiwen ur yessin deg-sen tafransist.
Ur tettuɣ ula yiwet seg-kumt.
Marie i icebḥen deg snat-nni.
Tebda tettlal-d tayri gar sin-nni.
Yewwi-d tlata iseggasen deg lḥebs.
Yiwen ur t-ssineɣ deg sin-nni.
Ungal-a deg-s tlata n yeḥricen.
Yiwen n weqrur deg-k weḥd-s.
Yiwen ur yi-yeεǧib seg iḍebsiyen-a.
Nemyussan deg yiwet n tmeɣra.
Tiẓri-ya deg-s tlata n yeḥricen.
Yiwen weqcic deg-s d ddheb.
Yeḍsa-tt-id seg lqaε n wul-is.
Ilaq yiwen seg-nneɣ ad iruḥ.
Yiwen ur d-yettmeslay deg umkan-ik.
Thomas yekcem deg yiwen uxerquq.
Zzwaǧ-nsen atan deg ccekk ameqqran.
Waqil ttbineɣ-d azuran deg lǧin-a.
Yeddem Tom yiwen seg isandwičen-nni.
Atan deg yiwen usmil yid-i.
Yiwen ur tettakeḍ deg-s laman.
Yiwen ur s-ḥḍireɣ seg isaragen-is.
Ulac iɣef ara yesḥissef yiwen.
Ṭṭsen deg yiwen n wusu.
Ṭṭsent deg yiwen n wusu.
Jerḥent-t tlata terṣasin deg tedmert.
Yiwen ur t-ssineɣ seg imdanen-a.
Yiwen ur yi-yeεǧib seg idlisen-a.
Yiwen ur yeḍsi seg wiyaḍ.
Practice exercises
1. What does the preposition 'deg' mean?
2. How do you say 'three' (number)?
3. Translate 'a big house'