n (“of”) i (“to” or “for”) d (“with” or “and”) Example: Take the Tamazight word for “bread”:

Free state: aghrum Annexed state: ughrum When you use a preposition that governs the annexed state, you shift the noun accordingly:

“n ughrum” = “of bread” (genitive construction, triggered by n) “i ughrum” = “to (the) bread” (if such a phrase is contextually meaningful, triggered by i) “d ughrum” = “with bread” (triggered by d) Similarly, for the word for “man” (in one variant):

Free state: amddakel Annexed state: umddakel With prepositions:

“n umddakel” = “of (the) man” “i umddakel” = “to (the) man” “d umddakel” = “with (the) man” In summary, rather than marking nouns with separate accusative or dative endings, Tamazight shifts nouns from the free to the annexed state after certain prepositions (and in other syntactic contexts). This is how relationships like possession, direction, and accompaniment are indicated.

Here's a more contextualized explanation of Tamazight's free and annexed states, using practical language learning examples:

Let's explore how nouns change in Tamazight through real-world scenarios:

1. At the Market:

   • Free state: afullus (chicken)
   • "I want a chicken" → righ afullus
   • But when saying "the price of chicken" → ssuma n ufullus (annexed state)

2. Family Relations:

   • Free state: amghar (elder/grandfather)
   • "The elder arrived" → yusa-d umghar
   • "I went with the elder" → ddigh d umghar (annexed state)
   • "This is the elder's house" → taddart n umghar (annexed state)

3. Daily Activities:

   • Free state: aghrum (bread)
   • "The bread is fresh" → aghrum ighra
   • "I made it with bread" → skrgh-t d ughrum (annexed state)
   • "A piece of bread" → tafdft n ughrum (annexed state)

4. Locations and Movement:

   • Free state: adrar (mountain)
   • "The mountain is high" → adrar yattuy
   • "I'm going to the mountain" → tddugh i udrar (annexed state)
   • "They came from the mountain" → usin-d zg udrar (annexed state)

5. Social Interactions:

   • Free state: amddakel (friend)
   • "My friend came" → yusa-d umddakel inu
   • "I spoke with a friend" → sawlgh d umddakel (annexed state)
   • "The house of a friend" → taddart n umddakel (annexed state)

Think of it like this: In English, we change pronouns based on their role:

• "He gave it to me" (not "He gave it to I")
• "This is her book" (not "This is she book")

Similarly, Tamazight changes nouns after specific triggers:

1. After the preposition "n" (of):

   • taddart n urgaz (house of man)
   • afus n ufrux (hand of boy)

2. After "d" (with/and):

   • ddigh d ufullus (I went with chicken)
   • nish d umddakel (me and friend)

3. After "i" (to/for):

   • ucigh-t i ufrux (I gave it to boy)
   • nnigh-as i umghar (I said to elder)

Common Patterns to Notice:

• Words starting with 'a-' often change to 'u-'
• Words starting with 'i-' often change to 'yi-'
• Words starting with 'ta-' often change to 't-' exception if ta- is followed with a d thaddart i thaddart.

Real Conversations:

1. Shopping:

   • "bghigh aghrum" (I want bread)
   • "mnshk n ughrum?" (How much of bread?)

2. Giving Directions:

   • "adrar igguz" (The mountain is near)
   • "tddugh s udrar" (I'm going to mountain)

3. Making Plans:

   • "amddakel inu da" (My friend is here)
   • "ddigh d umddakel" (I went with friend)

These patterns become natural with practice, just like English speakers naturally know to say "with him" rather than "with he." The key is exposure to real-world usage rather than memorizing rules.

Learning Tamazight States

Let's test your understanding of Tamazight's free and annexed states:

What happens to a noun starting with 'a-' when it changes to the annexed state?

Practice with Real Examples

Which form is correct for saying 'with bread' in Tamazight?