Editor’s Note & Disclaimer: The core content and linguistic structure of this lesson were originally authored by Chris Hitchcock for the Team Maha website. This post is part of an effort to preserve, organize, and share these invaluable resources for Arabic learners worldwide.

In Levantine Arabic (Shami), present tense verbs used without the بـ (b-) prefix function very similarly to subjunctives in European languages. While the b- present expresses habitual, ongoing, or indicative statements, the b-less present (or subjunctive) is used when actions are dependent, intended, wished for, or triggered by auxiliary words.

In this lesson, we will cover the subjunctive conjugations, primary triggering expressions, prepositional combinations, past habitual structures, and negative imperatives.

1. Subjunctive Conjugation (The b-less Present)

Conjugating the subjunctive is straightforward: it uses the standard present tense stem without the بـ (b-) prefix.

Form I Verb Conjugation: درس (daras → ’to study’)

Form II Verb Conjugation Note: درّس (darras → ’to teach’)

In Syrian and Lebanese speech, Form II verbs drop the prefix vowel for the first person singular:

• I teach / that I teach: درّس (darres)
• Note: In Syrian/Lebanese, the first-person singular subjunctive form درّس (darres) looks identical to the masculine singular imperative درّس (darres!). In Jordanian and Palestinian, the prefix a- is retained (ادرس / a-darres).

2. Primary Triggers for the Subjunctive

Subjunctive verbs almost always follow specific trigger words or expressions:

A. Expressions of Desire, Hope, and Fear

• بدي روح (béddi ruu7 → ‘I want to go’)
• بحب امشي (b7ebb émshi → ‘I’d like to leave’)
• يا ريت تعرفلي (yaa reet ta3réf-li → ‘I wish you would find out for me’)
• خايف تروح عليي الفرصة (khaayef truu7 3aleyyi élférSa → ‘I’m scared I’ll miss the opportunity’)

B. Ability, Necessity, and Compulsion

• معي وقت اتمشى (ma3i wa2@t étmashsha → ‘I have time to walk around’)
• اضطريت انو ارجع (éDTarreet énno érja3 → ‘I was forced to return’)
• لازم تروح (laazem truu7 → ‘you must go’)

3. Subjunctive with Prepositions and Conjunctions

Combining prepositions with ما (ma) creates conjunctions that trigger the subjunctive verb:

• بلا ما يفوت ع البيت (bala ma yfuut 3a lbeet → ‘without him coming inside’)
• بعد ما ينام (ba3@d ma ynaam → ‘after he goes to sleep’)
• قبل ما يوصل (2ab@l ma yuuSal → ‘before he arrives’)
• لحتى ييجي (la7atta yiiji → ‘until / so that he comes’)

4. Past Habitual Aspect with كان (kaan)

When paired with the past tense copula كان (kaan), the subjunctive verb forms the past habitual tense (“used to do”):

• كان يروح كل يوم (kaan yruu7 kéll yoom → ‘he used to go every day’)
• كنا نلعب بالشارع (kénna nél3ab bésh-shaare3 → ‘we used to play in the street’)

5. Personal Suggestions and Negative Imperatives

A. Suggestions (“Shall I…?”)

In first-person queries, the subjunctive functions as a proposal:

• سمعك الغنية؟ (samm3ak élghanniyye? → ‘shall I play you the song?’)
• شو اعملك؟ (shu a3mel-lak? → ‘what should I do for you?’)

(Note: In Lebanese speech, suggestions with question words typically retain the b- present, e.g., شو بعملك / shu ba3mel-lak).

B. Negative Imperatives

Negative commands (“don’t do X!”) use the second-person subjunctive preceded by لا (laa) or ما (maa):

• لا تفوت! (laa tfuut! → ‘don’t enter!’ — Syrian)
• ما تفوت! (maa tfuut! → ‘don’t enter!’ — Universal)
• متروحش (matruu7esh → ‘don’t go’ — Jordanian/Palestinian)

What’s Next?

In Part #10, we will cover the Imperative Mode in Levantine Arabic.