bna بنا
Moroccan Darija · verb
“bna” (بنا) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to build, construct.
Meanings
- to build, construct
- to rebuild
- to base (an argument) on
Usage
Bna is the usual verb for building a house, a wall or a building. In the past tense it is conjugated bna, bnat, bnit, bnina, bnaw; in the present kaybni, kanbni; the imperative is bni. The past participle mebni means "built, constructed". With the preposition 3la, it takes a figurative sense: bna 3la chi haja, "to base oneself on something". The verbal noun is lbni. Note: the word bna can also mean "us" in some regions, which creates homographs in Latin script.
Example
بنا دار ف البلاد
bna dar f lblad
“He built a house in the bled.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kanbni | bnit | |
| nta (you, m.) | katbni | bniti | bni |
| nti (you, f.) | katbni | bniti | bni |
| howa (he) | kaybni | bna | |
| hiya (she) | katbni | bnat | |
| 7na (we) | kanbniw | bina | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katbniw | bnito | bniw |
| homa (they) | kaybniw | bnaw |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bna” but also “bnaa” and “bena”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.