Saying “Wanted” in the Past

Lesson objective

In this lesson, you will learn how to express a past desire.

The normal past forms of bġa have a present meaning (bġit = I want). To express a real past meaning such as wanted, place a past-tense form of kan before bġa.

knt bġit n-xrj bkri. — I wanted to leave early. (knt = I was, bġit = I wanted, n-xrj = to leave, bkri = early)

kant bġat t-gul lih ši нaja. — She wanted to tell him something. (kant = she was, bġat = she wanted, t-gul lih = to tell him, ši нaja = something)

Food-preference exercise

For each meal, write at least three sentences about Moroccan foods that you like or dislike.

kan-bġi l-biḍ f l-fṭur. — I like eggs for breakfast.

Do the same for l-fṭur (breakfast), l-ġda (lunch), and l-3ša (dinner).