Tunisian Arabic Verbs With Causative Forms
Update 1: I went over all the verbs with a native speaker and made corrections. Added audio recordings for some verbs.
NOTE: I make recordings with Obsidian notes - some of the recordings cut out in the middle.
I will later make a post with cloze lists to test yourself.
| Base Verb (intransitive) | Meaning | Causative Form | Meaning | Audio Recording |
|---|
| kle (كل) | to eat | wakkel (وكّل) | to feed | |
| taʿallem (تعلّم) | to learn | ʿallem (علّم) | to teach | |
| ḥfadh (حفظ) | to memorize | ḥaffed (حفّظ) | to teach by rote | |
| fhem (فهم) | to understand | fahhem (فهّم) | to explain | |
| ḥass (حسّ) | to feel | yehasses (حوّس) | to make someone feel | |
| nkhrrej (خرج) | to go out | kherrej (خرّج) | to make someone go out | |
| dkhal (دخل) | to enter | dakhal (دخّل) | to let in / insert | |
| qra (قرا) | to read/study | qerra (قرّى) | to teach | |
| ḍḥek (ضحك) | to laugh | ḍaḥḥek (ضحّك) | to make someone laugh | |
| bka (بكى) | to cry | bekka (بكّى) | to make someone cry | |
| sket (سكت) | to be quiet | sakkat (سكّت) | to silence | |
Eat – كل
Present
| Pronoun | Tunisian Arabic | Pronunciation | English | Audio Recording |
|---|
| I | Ena nekel | ناكل أنا | I eat | |
| You (masc.) | Enti tekel | تاكل انت | You eat | |
| He | Houwa yekel | ياكل هو | He eats | |
| She | Heya takel | تاكل هي | She eats | |
| We | A7na neklou | ناكلو احنا | We eat | |
| You (plural) | Entouma teklou | تاكلو انتم | You (all) eat | |
| They | Houma yeklou | ياكلو هم | They eat | |
Past
| Pronoun | Tunisian Arabic | Pronunciation | English | Audio Recording |
|---|
| I | Ena klit | كلت أنا | I ate | |
| You | Enti klit | كلت انت | You ate | |
| He | Houwa kal | كل هو | He ate | |
| She | Heya kalet | كلت היא | She ate | |
| We | A7na klina | كلنا احنا | We ate | |
| You (plural) | Entouma klitou | كلتو انتم | You (all) ate | |
| They | Houma klayou | كلو هم | They ate | |
Future
| Pronoun | Tunisian Arabic | Pronunciation | English | Audio Recording |
|---|
| I | Ena باش ناكل | bāsh nākel | I will eat | |
| You (masc.) | Enti باش تاكل | bāsh tākel | You will eat | |
| He | Houwa باش ياكل | bāsh yākel | He will eat | |
| She | Heya باش تاكل | bāsh tākel | She will eat | |
| We | A7na باش ناكلو | bāsh nāklou | We will eat | |
| You (plural) | Entouma باش تاكلو | bāsh tāklou | You (all) will eat | |
| They | Houma باش ياكلو | bāsh yākelou | They will eat | |
Imperative
| To whom? | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English | Audio Recording |
|---|
| You (sing.) | kul! | كُل! | Eat! | |
| You (plural) | kulou! | كلو! | Eat! (all of you) | |
Feed – وكّل
Present
| Subject | Object | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English | Audio Recording |
|---|
| Ena | Enti | newakklek | نوكّلك | I feed you | |
| Ena | Houwa | newakklou | نوكّله | I feed him | |
| Ena | Heya | nwakkelha | نوكّلها | I feed her | |
| Houwa | Heya | yewakkelha | يوكّلها | He feeds her | |
| Heya | Houwa | tewakklou | توكّله | She feeds him | |
| A7na | Entouma | newakkloukom | نوكّلكم | We feed you (pl.) | |
| Houma | A7na | yewakklouna | يوكّلونا | They feed us | |
Past
| Subject | Object | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English | Audio Recording |
|---|
| Ena | Enti (m) | wakkeltek | وكّلتك | I fed you | |
| Ena | Houwa | wakkeltou | وكّلته | I fed him | |
| Ena | Heya | wakkeltha | وكّلتها | I fed her | |
| Houwa | Heya | wakkelha | وكّلها | He fed her | |
| Heya | Houwa | wakklitou | وكّلته | She fed him | |
| A7na | Entouma | wakkelnékom | وكّلناكم | We fed you (pl.) | |
| Houma | A7na | wakkelouna | وكّلونا | They fed us | |
Future
| Subject | Object | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English | Audio Recording |
|---|
| Ena | Enti (m) | besh newakklek | باش نوكّلك | I will feed you | |
| Ena | Houwa | besh newakklou | باش نوكّله | I will feed him | |
| Ena | Heya | besh newakkelha | باش نوكّلها | I will feed her | |
| Houwa | Heya | besh yewakkelha | باش يوكّلها | He will feed her | |
| Heya | Houwa | besh tewakklou | باش توكّله | She will feed him | |
| A7na | Entouma | besh newakkloukom | باش نوكّلكم | We will feed you (pl.) | |
| Houma | A7na | besh yewakklouna | باش يوكّلونا | They will feed us | |
Imperative
| Object | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English | Audio Recording |
|---|
| him | wakkelou! | وكّله! | Feed him! | |
| her | wakkelha! | وكّلها! | Feed her! | |
| me | wakkelni! | وكّلني! | Feed me! | |
| them | wakkelhom! | وكّلهم! | Feed them! | |
| us | wakkelna! | وكّلنا! | Feed us! | |
| your brother | wakkel khouk! | وكّل خوك! | Feed your brother! | |
| us | wakkelouna! | وكّلونا! | Feed us! (you all) | |
Learn – تعلّم
Present
| Pronoun | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English | Audio Recording |
|---|
| I | netʿallem | نتعلّم | I learn | |
| You (masc.) | tetʿallem | تتعلّم | You learn | |
| He | yetʿallem | يتعلّم | He learns | |
| She | tetʿallem | تتعلّم | She learns | |
| We | netʿallemou | نتعلّمو | We learn | |
| You (plural) | tetʿallemou | تتعلّمو | You (pl.) learn | |
| They | yetʿallemou | يتعلّمو | They learn | |
Past
| Pronoun | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English | Audio Recording |
|---|
| I | taʿallemt | تعلّمت | I learned | |
| You (masc.) | taʿallemt | تعلّمت | You learned | |
| He | taʿallem | تعلّم | He learned | |
| She | taʿallemet | تعلّمت | She learned | |
| We | taʿallemna | تعلّمنا | We learned | |
| You (plural) | taʿallemtou | تعلّمتو | You (pl.) learned | |
| They | taʿallemou | تعلّمو | They learned | |
Future
| Pronoun | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English | Audio Recording |
|---|
| I | besh netʿallem | باش نتعلّم | I will learn | |
| You (masc.) | besh tetʿallem | باش تتعلّم | You will learn | |
| He | besh yetʿallem | باش يتعلّم | He will learn | |
| She | besh tetʿallem | باش تتعلّم | She will learn | |
| We | besh netʿallemou | باش نتعلّمو | We will learn | |
| You (plural) | besh tetʿallemou | باش تتعلّمو | You (pl.) will learn | |
| They | besh yetʿallemou | باش يتعلّمو | They will learn | |
Imperative
| To whom? | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English |
|---|
| You (masc.) | taʿallem! | تعلّم! | Learn! |
| You (plural) | taʿallemou! | تعلّمو! | Learn! (all of you) |
Teach – علّم
Present
| Subject | Object | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English | Audio Recording |
|---|
| Ena | Enti | neʿallemek | نعلّمك | I teach you | |
| Ena | Houwa | neʿallemou | نعلّمه | I teach him | |
| Ena | Heya | neʿallemha | نعلّمها | I teach her | |
| Houwa | Heya | yeʿallemha | يعلّمها | He teaches her | |
| Heya | Houwa | teʿallemou | تعلّمه | She teaches him | |
| A7na | Entouma | neʿallemoukom | نعلّموكم | We teach you (pl.) | |
| Houma | A7na | yeʿallemouna | يعلّمونا | They teach us | |
Past
| Subject | Object | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English |
|---|
| Ena | Enti | ʿallemtek | علّمتك | I taught you |
| Ena | Houwa | ʿallemtou | علّمته | I taught him |
| Ena | Heya | ʿallemtha | علّمتها | I taught her |
| Houwa | Heya | ʿallemha | علّمها | He taught her |
| Heya | Houwa | ʿallmetou | علّمته | She taught him |
| A7na | Entouma | ʿallemnékom | علّمناكم | We taught you (pl.) |
| Houma | A7na | ʿallemouna | علّمونا | They taught us |
Future
| Subject | Object | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English |
|---|
| Ena | Enti | besh neʿallemek | باش نعلّمك | I will teach you |
| Ena | Houwa | besh neʿallemou | باش نعلّمه | I will teach him |
| Ena | Heya | besh neʿallemha | باش نعلّمها | I will teach her |
| Houwa | Heya | besh yeʿallemha | باش يعلّمها | He will teach her |
| Heya | Houwa | besh teʿallemou | باش تعلّمه | She will teach him |
| A7na | Entouma | besh neʿallemoukom | باش نعلّموكم | We will teach you (pl.) |
| Houma | A7na | besh yeʿallemouna | باش يعلّمونا | They will teach us |
Imperative
| Object | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English |
|---|
| him | ʿallemou! | علّمه! | Teach him! |
| her | ʿallemha! | علّمها! | Teach her! |
| me | ʿallemni! | علّمني! | Teach me! |
| them | ʿallemhom! | علّمهم! | Teach them! |
| us | ʿallemna! | علّمنا! | Teach us! |
| your sister | ʿallem okhtik! | علّم أختك! | Teach your sister! |
Understand – فهم (fhem)
Present
| Pronoun | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English |
|---|
| I | nefhem | نفهم | I understand |
| You (masc.) | tefhem | تفهم | You understand |
| He | yefhem | يفهم | He understands |
| She | tefhem | تفهم | She understands |
| We | nefhemou | نفهمو | We understand |
| You (plural) | tefhemou | تفهمو | You understand |
| They | yefhemou | يفهمو | They understand |
Past
| Pronoun | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English |
|---|
| I | fhemt | فهمت | I understood |
| You (masc.) | fhemt | فهمت | You understood |
| He | fhem | فهم | He understood |
| She | fehemet | فهمت | She understood |
| We | fehemna | فهمنا | We understood |
| You (plural) | fehemtou | فهمتو | You understood |
| They | fehemou | فهمو | They understood |
Future
| Pronoun | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English |
|---|
| I | besh nefhem | باش نفهم | I will understand |
| You (masc.) | besh tefhem | باش تفهم | You will understand |
| He | besh yefhem | باش يفهم | He will understand |
| She | besh tefhem | باش تفهم | She will understand |
| We | besh nefhemou | باش نفهمو | We will understand |
| You (plural) | besh tefhemou | باش تفهمو | You (pl.) will understand |
| They | besh yefhemou | باش يفهمو | They will understand |
Imperative
| To whom? | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English |
|---|
| You (masc.) | ifhem! | افهم! | Understand! |
| You (plural) | ifhemou! | افهمو! | Understand! (pl.) |
Present (with Object)
| Subject | Object | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English |
|---|
| Ena | Enti | nefhmek | نفهمك | I understand you |
| Ena | Houwa | nefhmou | نفهمه | I understand him |
| Ena | Heya | nefhemha | نفهمها | I understand her |
| Houwa | Heya | yefhemha | يفهمها | He understands her |
| Heya | Houwa | tefhmou | تفهمه | She understands him |
| A7na | Entouma | nefhemkom | نفهمكم | We understand you (pl.) |
| Houma | A7na | yefhemouna | يفهمونا | They understand us |
Past (with Object)
| Subject | Object | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English |
|---|
| Ena | Enti | fhemtk | فهمتك | I understood you |
| Ena | Houwa | fhemtou | فهمته | I understood him |
| Ena | Heya | fhemtha | فهمتها | I understood her |
| Houwa | Heya | fehemha | فهمها | He understood her |
| Heya | Houwa | fehemetou | فهمته | She understood him |
| A7na | Entouma | fehemnakom | فهمناكم | We understood you (pl.) |
| Houma | A7na | fehemouna | فهمونا | They understood us |
Future (with Object)
| Subject | Object | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English |
|---|
| Ena | Enti | besh nefhmek | باش نفهمك | I will understand you |
| Ena | Houwa | besh nefhmou | باش نفهمه | I will understand him |
| Ena | Heya | besh nefhemha | باش نفهمها | I will understand her |
| Houwa | Heya | besh yefhemha | باش يفهمها | He will understand her |
| Heya | Houwa | besh tefhmou | باش تفهمه | She will understand him |
| A7na | Entouma | besh nefhemkom | باش نفهمكم | We will understand you (pl.) |
| Houma | A7na | besh yefhemouna | باش يفهمونا | They will understand us |
Explain – فهّم (fahhem)
Present
| Subject | Object | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English |
|---|
| Ena | Enti | nefahhmek | نفهّمك | I explain to you |
| Ena | Houwa | nefahhmou | نفهّمه | I explain to him |
| Ena | Heya | nefahhemha | نفهّمها | I explain to her |
| Houwa | Heya | yfahhemha | يفهّمها | He explains to her |
| Heya | Houwa | tefahhmou | تفهّمه | She explains to him |
| A7na | Entouma | nefahahmoukom | نفهّموكم | We explain to you (pl.) |
| Houma | A7na | yfahahmouna | يفهّمونا | They explain to us |
Past
| Subject | Object | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English |
|---|
| Ena | Enti | fhhamtek | فهّمتك | I explained to you |
| Ena | Houwa | fhhamtou | فهّمته | I explained to him |
| Ena | Heya | fhhamtha | فهّمتها | I explained to her |
| Houwa | Heya | fhhamha | فهّمها | He explained to her |
| Heya | Houwa | fhhamehtou | فهّمته | She explained to him |
| A7na | Entouma | fahhamnékom | فهّمناكم | We explained to you |
| Houma | A7na | fahahamouna | فهّمونا | They explained to us |
Future
| Subject | Object | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English |
|---|
| Ena | Enti | besh nefahhmek | باش نفهّمك | I will explain to you |
| Ena | Houwa | besh nefahhmou | باش نفهّمه | I will explain to him |
| Ena | Heya | besh nefahhemha | باش نفهّمها | I will explain to her |
| Houwa | Heya | besh yefahhemha | باش يفهّمها | He will explain to her |
| Heya | Houwa | besh tefahhmou | باش تفهّمه | She will explain to him |
| A7na | Entouma | besh nefahhmoukom | باش نفهّموكم | We will explain to you (pl.) |
| Houma | A7na | besh yefahhmouna | باش يفهّمونا | They will explain to us |
Imperative
| Object | Tunisian Arabic | Arabic Script | English |
|---|
| him | fahhemou! | فهّمه! | Explain to him! |
| her | fahhemha! | فهّمها! | Explain to her! |
| me | fahhemni! | فهّمني! | Explain to me! |
| them | fahhemhom! | فهّمهم! | Explain to them! |
| us | fahhemna! | فهّمنا! | Explain to us! |
| your mother | fahhem ommek! | فهّم أمك! | Explain to your mother! |
