I see the words for "bottle" and "bottles" spelt different ways, what way should I learn to spell it?

Thanks for your question.

Are you talking about the difference between "taqerɛunt" and "tiqerɛunin"?

"Taqerɛunt" is "bottle" (singular).
"Tiqerɛunin" is "bottles" (plural).

"Tqerɛunt" is the construct state of "taqerɛunt" (bottle).
"Tqerɛunin" is the construct state of "tiqerɛunin" (bottles - plural).

The construct state occurs when the noun is preceded by a number (snat tqerɛunin - two bottles) or a preposition (n tqerɛunt - of the bottle), or when the noun is preceded by a verb and this same noun is the subject of the verb (the one who does the action): "Terreẓ tqerɛunt-nni." (The bottle broke/is broken)."

Therefore, each Berber noun with a regular form (i.e. a Berber noun which has the initial vowel "a/i/u" like "argaz" [man], tAmeṭṭut [woman]) has 4 different forms:

A free state in the singular: Argaz - Tameṭṭut
A construct state in the singular: wergaz - tmeṭṭut.
A free state in the plural: Irgazen - tisednan.
A construct state in the plural: yergazen - tsednan.

My dictionary gives the 4 forms of each noun mentioned in it.

http://amawal.wikidot.com/dicti...tion-imedyazen

Examples:

Wa d argaz-inu.
This is my husband.

Note: "argaz" is in the free state.

Yusa-d yiwen wergaz.
A man came.

Note: "wergaz" is in the construct state, because it is preceded by a number (yiwen).

Tameṭṭut-a d tafellaḥt.
This woman is a farmer.

Note: "tameṭṭut" is in the free state.

Tella yiwet tmeṭṭut deg texxamt-a.
There is a woman in this room.

Note: "tmeṭṭut" is in the construct state because it is preceded by a number (yiwet).

Ta d takeṛṛust n wergaz-a.
This is this man's car. (This is the car of this man).

Note: "wergaz" is in the construct state because it is preceded by a preposition (n = of).

Fkiɣ-t i tmeṭṭut-nni.
I gave it to that woman.

Note: "tmeṭṭut" is in the construct state because it is preceded by a preposition ("i" = to, for).

Yeffeɣ wergaz-nni.
The man left.

Note: "wergaz is in the construct state because it is the subject of the verb "ffeɣ" (to leave, to go out). He's the one who left.

Teqqel-d tmeṭṭut-nni.
The woman has come back.

Note: "tmeṭṭut" is in the construct state because it is the subject of the verb "qqel-d" (to come back).

Wi d irgazen-nteɣ.
These are our husbands.

Note: "Irgazen" is in the free state.

Llan kraḍ yergazen da.
There are three men here.

Note: preceded by a number (kraḍ), so it's in the construct state.

Wi d iceḍḍiḍen n yergazen.
The are men's clothes.

Note: "yergazen" is preceded by a preposition (n = of).

Rfan yergazen-nni.
Those men are angry.

Note: "yergazen" is the subject of "rfan" (they are angry).

Ulac tisednan da.
There are no women here.

Note: "tisednan" (women) is in the free state.

Yebra i snat tsednan.
He divorced two wives.

Note: "tsednan" is in the construct state because it is preceded by a number (snat = two).

Llant tsednan yid-neɣ.
There are women among us.

Note: "tsednan" is preceded by a verb (llant == there are, they exist).

The construct state of each noun is relatively easy to know.

If the noun starts with "(initial) vowel-consonant-vowel", the construct state would start with "u":

Amaziɣ - Umaziɣ (construct state)
Afellaḥ - ufellaḥ
Akanadi (Canadian) - Ukanadi

In the feminine, the noun loses its initial vowel in the construct state:

Tamaziɣt - Tmaziɣt.
Tameṭṭut - tmeṭṭut.
Takeṛṛust - tkeṛṛust.
Taqerɛunt - tqerɛunt.
Takanadit (Canadia) - tkanadit.

In the plural of vowel-consonant-vowel-nouns, you have to add "y" to the plural form:

Imaziɣen - Yimaziɣen.
Ifellaḥen - Yifellaḥen.
Inelmaden - Yinelmaden.
Iselmaden - Yiselmaden.
Ikanadiyen - Yikanadiyen.

For the plural feminine of vowel-consonant-vowel-nouns, the noun loses (again) its initial vowel ["i" in this case]:

Timaziɣin - Tmaziɣin.
Tifellaḥin - Tfellaḥin.
Tinelmadin - Tnelmadin.
Tiselmadin - Tselmadin.
Tikanadiyin - Tkanadiyin.

Now, comes the second big group of Berber nouns: vowel-consonant-consonant-nouns: you replace the intiial vowel with "we-" (a- > we-):

Argaz - wergaz (construct state)
Abṛik (duck) - webṛik
Amcic (cat) - wemcic
Amger (sickle) - wemger.
Alɣem (camel) - welɣem.

In the feminine, you replace the initial vowel with "e" (ta- > te-):

Taqcict (girl) - teqcict.
Tamcict (female cat) - temcict.
Tamdint (town, city) - temdint.
Talɣemt (female camel) - telɣemt.

In the plural of vowel-consonant-consonant-nouns, you replace the initial "i-" with "ye-" (i- > ye-):

Irgazen - yergazen.
Ibṛiken - yebṛiken.
Imcac - yemcac.
Ibriden (ways, roads) - yebriden.
Idraren (mountaisn) - yedraren.

In the plural feminin of vowel-consonant-consonant-nouns, you replace the initial vowel "i" with "e" (ti- > te-):

Tiqcicin - teqcicin.
Timcac - temcac.
Timɣarin (old women) - temɣarin.
Tisfifin (tapes) - tesfifin.

All these things will be covered in the video lessons I'm preparing.

Tanemmirt

> All these things will be covered in the video lessons I'm preparing.
This is great news!

Alex:
Thank you my brother, and you too will learn one of the languages of your African brothers (del otro lado del charco - of the other side of the ocean) :-)

Why not? Please let me know when you're done. ;-)

Alex:

Inshallah hermano (si Dios quieré!!!! Te lo prometo!!!!)

;-)