Arabic Speaking

Table of Contents
Introduction.....................................................................................................................1
Learning Moroccan Arabic......................................................................................................................1
Transcription of Moroccan Arabic...........................................................................................................1
Getting Started with Moroccan Arabic.............................................................................5
Greetings.................................................................................................................................................5
Independent Pronouns............................................................................................................................6
Possessive Pronouns...............................................................................................................................8
Masculine and Feminine Nouns.............................................................................................................9
Describing Yourself........................................................................................................10
Nationalities, Cities, and Marital Status................................................................................................10
The Possessive Word dyal...................................................................................................................13
Demonstrative Adjectives & Demonstrative Pronouns.........................................................................14
Asking about Possession........................................................................................................................17
Useful Expressions.........................................................................................................19
Numerals.......................................................................................................................22
Cardinal Numbers.................................................................................................................................22
Ordinal Numbers / Fractions................................................................................................................28
Time.......................................................................................................................................................29
Getting Started Shopping...............................................................................................32
Money....................................................................................................................................................32
At the Hanoot........................................................................................................................................33
Verb to want.......................................................................................................................................35
Kayn for There is................................................................................................................................36
Family............................................................................................................................37
Family Members....................................................................................................................................37
Verb to have........................................................................................................................................39
Directions.......................................................................................................................41
Prepositions...........................................................................................................................................41
Directions..............................................................................................................................................42
Past Events.....................................................................................................................44
Time Vocabulary...................................................................................................................................44
Past Tense Regular Verbs...................................................................................................................45
Past Tense Irregular Verbs.................................................................................................................47
Negation................................................................................................................................................50
Have you ever... / Ive never..................................................................................................................52
Object Pronouns....................................................................................................................................53
Question Words.....................................................................................................................................54
Daily Routines................................................................................................................57
Present Tense Regular Verbs.............................................................................................................57
Present Tense Irregular Verbs with Middle a.................................................................................59
Present Tense Irregular Verbs with Final a....................................................................................64
Using One Verb after Another..............................................................................................................68
The Imperative......................................................................................................................................69
Bargaining......................................................................................................................71
Bargaining..............................................................................................................................................71
Clothing.................................................................................................................................................73
Adjectives..............................................................................................................................................78
Comparative and Superlative Adjectives..............................................................................................80
Shopping For Food.........................................................................................................84
Fruits and Vegetables............................................................................................................................84
Buying Produce.....................................................................................................................................85
Spices and Meat....................................................................................................................................88
Food and Drink..............................................................................................................89

Food and Drink.....................................................................................................................................89
The Reflexive verb to please / to like..................................................................................................91
The Verb to need, to have to, must, should........................................................................................95
The Verb to want, to like....................................................................................................................96
Medical & Body...............................................................................................................97
Body Parts..............................................................................................................................................97
Health Problems....................................................................................................................................97
Site Visit Expressions...................................................................................................100
Travel...........................................................................................................................102
Future Tense........................................................................................................................................102
Travel...................................................................................................................................................106
At the Hotel...................................................................................................................110
Hotel Accommodation.........................................................................................................................110
The Conditional....................................................................................................................................111
At the Post Office...........................................................................................................113
The Post Office.....................................................................................................................................113
Using Prepositions with Pronoun Endings & Verbs............................................................................115
Describing the Peace Corps Mission.............................................................................120
Peace Corps..........................................................................................................................................120
Youth Development..............................................................................................................................121
Environment........................................................................................................................................122
Health..................................................................................................................................................123
Small Business Development..............................................................................................................124
Renting a House............................................................................................................125
Finding a House...................................................................................................................................125
Furnishing a House.............................................................................................................................126
Safety and Security.......................................................................................................129
Sexual Harassment..............................................................................................................................129
At the Taxi Stand.................................................................................................................................130
At Work................................................................................................................................................132
Forgetting a Wallet in a Taxi / Filing a Report....................................................................................133
Butagas................................................................................................................................................134
Hash.....................................................................................................................................................135
Theft.....................................................................................................................................................136
House Security / Doors and Windows................................................................................................138
Political Harassment...........................................................................................................................140
Appendices...................................................................................................................142
Pronunciation of Moroccan Arabic...............................................................................143
Understanding How Sounds Are Made...............................................................................................143
Pronunciation of Non-English Consonants.........................................................................................143
Pronunciation of Shedda.....................................................................................................................145
The Definite Article..............................................................................................................................146
Supplementary Grammar Lessons...............................................................................148
Making Intransitive Verbs into Transitive Verbs................................................................................148
Passive Verbs.......................................................................................................................................149
The Past Progressive............................................................................................................................150
The Verb to remain............................................................................................................................151
Verb Participles....................................................................................................................................151
Conjunctions........................................................................................................................................154
More Useful Expressions..............................................................................................157
Moroccan Holidays.......................................................................................................159
Religious Holidays...............................................................................................................................159
National Holidays................................................................................................................................162
Glossary of Verbs..........................................................................................................164
Grammar Index............................................................................................................192
Peace Corps / Morocco 3

Vocabulary Index..........................................................................................................193
Introduction
Learning Moroccan Arabic
Even under the best conditions, learning a new language can be challenging. Add to this challenge the rigors of Peace
Corps training, and youre faced with what will be one of the most demandingand rewardingaspects of your Peace Corps
experience: learning to communicate to Moroccans in their own language. But it can be done. And rest assured that you
can do it. Here are a few reasons why:
You are immersed in the language: Some people may need to hear a word three times to remember it; others
may need thirty. Learning Moroccan Arabic while living and training with Moroccans gives you the chance to hear
the language used again and again.
You have daily language classes with Moroccan teachers: Youre not only immersed in the language; you
also have the opportunity to receive feedback from native speakers on the many questions that predictably crop
up when one learns a new language.
Peace Corps has over forty years of experience in Morocco: Your training, including this manual, benefits
from the collective experience gained by training thousands of Americans to live and work in Morocco. You will
benefit from and contribute to that legacy.
Despite these advantages, at times you may still feel like the task of learning Moroccan Arabic is too much to handle.
Remember that volunteers like you having been doing it for decades, however. One of the most rewarding aspects of your
time will be communicating with Moroccans in Arabic, surprising them and yourself with how well you know the language.
When that time arrives, your hard work will have been worth it.
Transcription of Moroccan Arabic

In order for trainees to move quickly into Moroccan Arabic (also called Darija), Peace Corps uses a system of transcription
that substitutes characters of the Latin alphabet (a, b, c, d, . . . ) for characters from Arabic script (
. . .). With
this system, it isnt necessary for a trainee to learn all of Arabic script before he or she begins to learn the language. On the
contrary, once you become familiar with the system of transcription, you will be able to read and write Moroccan Arabic
fairly quicklyusing characters you are familiar with. You will also learn Arabic script during training, but with transcription
it isnt necessary to know it right away. Throughout the book, therefore, you will always see both the original Arabic script
and the transcription. Becoming familiar with the Peace Corps system of transcription is one of the best things
you can do, early on, to help yourself learn Moroccan Arabic.
Practicing the different sounds of Moroccan
Arabic until you can reproduce them is another. This introduction is intended mainly to help you get started with the
system of transcription, and as a result it will mention only briefly the different sounds of Arabic.
However, a fuller
explanation can be found on page 143.
Sounds You Already Know

The large majority of consonants in Moroccan Arabic are similar to sounds that we have in English.
The
vowels in Arabic are also similar to English vowels. In the following table, each transcription character that
represents a sound you already know will be explained. The sounds are not necessarily what you may
expect, but each character was matched with a sound for good reasons.
Transcriptio
n Character
Arabic
Character
/ _ /
the normal English sound /b/
the normal English sound /d/
/ _
Description
sometimes the // in father, sometimes the /a/ in mad
the short e sound /e/ as in met (this transcription character is

not used often, only when confusion would be caused by using the
transcription character a)
the normal English sound /f/
2 Moroccan Arabic
g
the normal English sound /g/ as in go
the normal English sound /h/ as in hi.
/ _
the /zh/ sound represented by the s in pleasure
the normal English sound /k/
the normal English sound /l/
the normal English sound /m/
the normal English sound /n/
the long o sound // as in bone (this transcription character is
the normal English sound /p/
this is not the normal English r, but a flap similar to the

Spanish r or to the sound Americans make when they
quickly say gotta as in I gotta go.
the normal English sound /s/
the normal English sound /t/
the long oo sound // as in food
the normal English sound /v/
the normal English sound /w/
the normal English sound /y/
the normal English sound /z/
the long ee sound // as in meet
not used often, mainly for French words that have entered Moroccan Arabic)
the normal English sound /sh/ as in she

Some vowel combinations
ay
the ay as in say
au
the ow as in cow
iu
the ee you as in see you later
New Sounds
There are eight consonants in Moroccan Arabic that we do not have in English. It may take you some time to
be able to pronounce these correctly. At this point, whats important is that you learn the transcription
character for each of these sounds. See page 143 for more information on how to pronounce the sounds in
Moroccan Arabic.
Transcriptio
n Character
Arabic
Character
the Arabic emphatic

d
the Arabic emphatic

s
the Arabic emphatic

t
like the English /k/ but pronounced further back in the throat
like the ch in the German Bach; some people use this

sound to say yech!
like the x sound above, but pronounced using your voice
Sound
These sounds are pronounced like

their non-emphatic counterparts,
but with a lower pitch and a greater
tension in the tongue and throat.

box; similar to the French r
like the English h, except pronounce deep in the throat as

a loud raspy whisper.
This sound will be difficult at first. It can be approximated

by pronouncing the a in fat with the tongue against the
bottom of the mouth and from as deep in the throat as
possible
Shedda
If you see a transcription character doubled, that means that a shedda is over that character in the
Arabic script. For example, in the following table, you will see how the transcription changes for shedda,
and thus the pronunciation.
English
Translation
Transcription
Arabic
Script
This small
character, which
looks like a w,
time (as in: Ive seen
is the shedda.
marra
him one time)

That is why the
transcription
Notice that these two words are spelled differently in the transcription. The word woman does not have a
shedda on the r in Arabic script, and that is why there is only one r in the transcription. The word time
does have a shedda in the Arabic script, and that is why the transcription doubles the letter r. These two
words are pronounced differently, so you must pay attention to doubled letters in transcription.
To learn more about how we pronounce the shedda in Arabic, see page 145. For now, whats important is that
you understand the transcription.
woman
mra
Other Symbols
Sometimes, you will see a hyphen used in the transcription. This has three purposes:
1. It indicates the definite article: For some letters, the definite article (the word the) is made by
2.
adding the letter l. For others, it is made by doubling the first letter. In both cases, a hyphen will be
used to indicate to you that the word has the definite article in front of it. See page 146 for more info
on the definite article.
It connects the present tense prefix: The present tense prefix (kan, kat, or kay) will be
connected to the verb with a hyphen. This will make it easier for you to understand what verb you are
looking at.
3. It connects the negative prefix (ma) and the negative suffix () to a

verb.
In these instances, the hyphen does not necessarily indicate a change in pronunciation. The hyphen is
there to make it easy for you to see when a definite article is being used, for example, or which verb is being
used. It is a visual indicator, not an indicator of pronunciation. Sometimes the rhythm of speech may seem to
break with the hyphen; other times the letters before and after the hyphen will be pronounced together.
Another symbol you will sometimes see is the apostrophe ( ' ). When you see an apostrophe, it indicates a
glottal stop, which is the break between vowels as heard in the English exclamation uh oh. That is to say,
if you see an apostrophe you should not connect the sounds before the apostrophe with the sounds after the
apostrophe. Pronounce them with a break in the middle.
Words & Syllables Without Vowels

Sometimes you will see syllables or even whole words without any vowels written in them. This is normal in
Moroccan Arabic. To the English speaker, however, this seems impossible, since we have always been taught
that all words must contain a vowel sound. Which side is correct? Well, in a sense they both are. In reality, it
is indeed possible to pronounce consonants together without articulating a vowel sound; we do it a lot in
English at the beginning of words. Think about the word street. We pronounce three consonantss, t, and r
without any vowels between them. So it is possible. The only challenge with Arabic is that the consonant
combinations are new for English speakers (we dont put the /sh/ sound next to the /m/ sound, for example,
but in Arabic they do).
However, try for a moment to pronounce only the letters str, not the whole word street. In this case, most
English speakers will hear something that sounds like the word stir. With certain consonant combinations,
4 Moroccan Arabic
that is to say, it sounds to the English speaker like there is a vowel in the middle, even if there isnt. The
vowel is in reality just the normal sound made as one consonant sound transitions to another.
Part of learning Moroccan Arabic is becoming comfortable with new consonant combinations and practicing
those combinations without necessarily placing a vowel in the middle. The transcription words, you will
notice, only include characters for vowels when there really is a vowel in the word. It may seem difficult at
first, but it is better to accustom yourself to this as early as you can.
Why Not Just Write sh?

A final point about the transcription. At times it may seem overly complicated to someone beginning
Moroccan Arabic. For example, why doesnt it just use sh for the /sh/ sound? The answer is this: every
sound must have just a single character to represent it. Why? Well, in Arabic it is normal for the /h/ sound to
follow the /s/ sound. If we used sh to represent the /sh/ sound, there would not be any way to represent
an /s/ plus /h/ sound, because it too would look like sh. Using the symbol to represent /sh/ makes it
possible to represent /s/ plus /h/ and /sh/ plus /h/ (yes, in Arabic both these combinations are used).
All of this concerns a larger point: the transcription system used in this book may appear complex at
first, but it has been carefully thought out and in the end it is the easiest system possible. That said, the
sooner you can make the transition to reading Arabic script, the easier it will be to pronounce Arabic correctly.
Getting Started with Moroccan Arabic

Objective: By the end of the chapter, you will be able to:
greet people and introduce yourself
use independent pronouns to make simple sentences
use possessive pronouns to indicate possession
distinguish between masculine and feminine nouns
Greetings
Cultural Points
Greetings and farewells (good byes) are two important aspects of Moroccan life. Greetings are not to be
compared with the quick American hi. It takes time for two people to exchange different questions and
answers which interest them about each other, their families, and life in general. Greetings change from one
region to another, both in the questions posed and in the fashion of the greeting (i.e. shaking hands, kissing
cheeks head or hands, or putting ones hand over ones heart after shaking hands).
If you greet a group of people, then the way you greet the first person is the way you should greet
everyone in the group. Dont be surprised if you are greeted by a friend but he does not introduce you to
other people with whom he may be talking. Do not be surprised if you are in a group and you are not greeted
as others are in the group (people may be shy to greet a stranger.) It is also not necessary to give an overly
detailed response to a greetingonly the usual response is expected. For example, How are you? requires
only a simple Fine, thanks be to God.
How do people greet each

other in different cultures?
Greeting expressions and appropriate responses
A: Peace be upon you
B: And peace be upon you
(too)
s-salamu alaykum
wa alaykum s-salam
A: Good morning
B: Good morning
sbaH l-KHir
sbaH l-KHir
A: Good afternoon / evening

B: Good afternoon / evening
msa l-KHir
msa l-KHir
name
smiya
Whats your name?
nu/chnou smitk?
my name...
smiti...
...
your name...
smitk...
...
his name...
smitu...
...
her name...
smitha...
...
Nice to meet you.
mtrfin
How are you (masc.)?
kif dayr?
How are you (fem.)?
kif dayra?
Are you fine?
labas?
Good, thanks be to God.
labas, l-amdullah
6 Moroccan Arabic
Good, thanks be to God.
bixir, l-amdullah
Everything is fine.
kuli bixir
Good-bye
bslama
Good night
layla sa ida
Greetings Dialogue
John: s-salamu alaykum.
Mohamed: wa alaykum s-salam.
:
:
John: kif dayr?

Mohamed: labas, l-amdullah. u nta?
John: bixir, l-amdullah.
:
.

:
:
Mohamed: nu smitk?
John: smiti John. u nta?
Mohamed: smiti Mohamed.
. :
:
John: mtrfin.
Mohamed: mtrfin.
Transcription Reminder see page 1 for the full table with all transcription characters.
:the /sh/ sound as in shea:the a in father or the a in madx:the ch in the German Bach or
thei:the ee in meetScottish loch See page144.u:the oo in food
Exercise: Put this dialogue in the correct order.

Chris: sbah l-khir.
Amy: mtrfin.
Chris: kif dayra?
Amy: nu smitk?
Chris: labas, l-hamdullah.

Amy: smiti Amy.

:
:
Chris: smiti Chris. u nti?

Amy: sbah l-khir.
Chris: mtrfin.
. :
:
:
Amy: bikhir, l-hamdullah. u nta?
Independent Pronouns
We call the following pronouns independent because they are not attached to other words, such
as nouns, verbs, or prepositions (see Possessive Pronouns, next page, and Object Pronouns,
page 53). The pronouns are often used in a number of different ways.
ana
you (masc. singular)
nta

you (fem. singular)
nti
he
huwa
she
hiya
we
Hna
you (plural)
ntuma
they
huma
When they are followed by a noun or an adjective, the verb to be is not necessary. It is implied
already, and simple sentences can be made by using independent pronouns with a nouns or
adjectives.
I am a teacher.
She is tired.
ana ustad.
hiya iyana.
h:the normal English /h/ sound as in:like the English h, except pronounce ithello.deep in the
throat as a loud raspy whisper. See page 145.
8 Moroccan Arabic
Possessive Pronouns
In Darija, a suffix (ending) may be added to the end of words in order to express
possession.
my
i / ya*
your (singular)
his
u / h*
her
ha
our
na
your (plural)
kum
their
hum
* For the my and his forms, the first ending is used for words ending in consonants, while the second is
used with words ending in vowels. For example, smiti (my name), but xuya (my brother).
Example of possessive pronouns with the noun book.

book
ktab
my book
ktabi
your (sing.) book
ktabk
his book
ktabu
her book
ktabha
our book
ktabna
your (plur.) book
ktabkum
their book
ktabhum
Most feminine nouns in Arabic have an a sound at the end of the word. In Arabic script, this a is actually a
silent t that is only pronounced on certain occasions. For all feminine words ending in this silent t ( ),
we drop the sound a and substitute it with t before adding a possessive pronoun.
For example, the
feminine noun magana (a watch).
watch
magana
my watch
maganti
your (sing.) watch
magantk
his watch
magantu
her watch
magantha
our watch
magantna
your (plur.) watch
magantkum
their watch
maganthum
Exercise: Use the following words with the appropriate possessive

pronoun.
dar (house)
blasa (place)
1. your (plur.) house

2. my place
3. his book
ktab (book)
wrqa (sheet of paper,

ticket)
6. their place
7. her house
8. his ticket

4. our place
5. your (sing.) ticket
9. your (sing.) book

10. their house
Masculine and Feminine Nouns

In Arabic, all nouns are either masculine or feminine. In general, nouns ending in a (the
silent t ( )in Arabic script) are feminine. For example:
name
smiya
city
mdina
chicken (a single one)
djaja
television
tlfaza
The feminine is formed from the masculine (for nouns indicating professions or
participles) by adding a (the silent t ( )in Arabic script) to the end of the word. For
example:
male teacher
ustad
female teacher
ustada
working (masc.
participle)
xddam
working (fem. participle) xddama
Some words without a (the silent t ( )in Arabic script) are nonetheless feminine.
First, words and proper names which are by their nature feminine:
mother
om
Amal (girls name)
amal
Second, most (though not all) parts of the body that come in pairs are feminine:
an eye
in
a hand
yd
a foot
rjl
an ear
udn
Third, a small number of nouns which do not fall into any category and yet are feminine:
the house
d-dar
the sun
-ms
j:the /zh/ sound, like the s in the Remember that if two characters in a row areword pleasure.the
same, a shedda is used, and we pronounce:See page 146.that sound longer. See pages 3 and
146.
10 Moroccan Arabic
Describing Yourself
ask and answer questions about nationalities, cities, age, and
marital status
use the possessive word dyal to indicate possession
use demonstrative pronouns and adjectives in simple sentences
ask questions about possession
Cultural Points
Avoid asking about the salary and age (sometimes) of people, especially women.
Men should not enquire about the wives or other female relations of someonethis could
be seen as expressing an inappropriate interest. People wont always tell you about their
jobs and other personal concerns if not asked. Religion can be a sensitive issue and
sometimes people are not willing to express their views.
Nationalities, Cities, and Marital Status

Vocabulary and Expressions
Where are you (masc.)
from?
mnin nta?
Where are you (fem.) from?
mnin nti?
I am from the U.S.
ana mn mirikan.
I am American.
ana mirikani(ya).
)
).
I am from Morocco.
ana mn l-mrib.
I am Moroccan.
ana mribi(ya).
.
)
) .
Are you ... ?
we nta/nti ... ?
Are you from the U.S.?
we nta/nti mn mirikan?
Where are you from in the

U.S.?
mnin nta/nti f mirikan?
And you?
u nta/nti?
city
mdina
state
wilaya
big (fem.)
kbira
small (fem.)
sira
Excuse me. (to man /

woman)
sm li / smi li
I am not ...
ana mai ...
but
welakin
...
engaged (fem.)
mxtuba
married (masc. / fem.)
mzuwj / mzuwja
No, not yet.
lla mazal / lla baqi
Are you a tourist?
we nta/nti turist?
ana xddam(a) m a hay'at
I work with the Peace Corps.
s-salam.
...
/

/
/

/

)(
.

Dialogue
Fatima:
Tom:
Fatima:
Tom:
Fatima:
Tom:
Fatima:
Tom:
Fatima:
Tom:
Fatima:
Tom:
Fatima:
Tom:
Fatima:
Tom:
s-salamu alaykum.
wa alaykum s-salam.
sm li, we nta fransawi?
lla, ana mirikani.
mnin f mirikan?
mn mdint Seattle f wilayat
Washington. u nti?
mn Rabat.
al f mrk?
tnayn u rin am. u nta?
rb a u tlatin am.
we nta mzuwj wlla mazal?
mazal. u nti?
lla, baqiya. we nta turist?
lla, ana xddam m a
hay'at s-salam.
bslama.
n-ufk mn b d.
.
.
.

.
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

. :

.
:
. :
12 Moroccan Arabic
Exercise:Complete each section of this dialogue.
The Possessive Word dyal

In Moroccan Arabic, you have already learned that possession can be expressed by
adding the possessive pronouns to the end of a word (see page 8). Another way to
express possession is through the word dyal. It is placed after a noun with the definite
article the, which in Arabic may be either the letter l or a doubling of the first
consonant of a word (see page 146 for more information on the Arabic definite article).
The same possessive pronouns you learned before are attached to the end of dyal. You
can also use a name with dyal. Some examples:
Using Possessive Pronoun
ktab
book
ktabi
my book
the book
my book
Johns book
Using dyal
l-ktab
l-ktab dyali

l-ktab dyal John

Here is a list of dyal with all of the possessive pronoun endings:

my / mine
dyali
your / yours (sing.)
dyalk
his / his
dyalu
her / hers
dyalha
our / ours
dyalna
your / yours
dyalkum
their / theirs
dyalhum
As the list above shows, the forms dyali, dyalk, etc. also mean mine, yours, etc.
This pen is mine.
had s-stilo dyali.
That rug is yours.
dik z-zrbiya dyalk.

.
.
Exercise:Substitute the underlined words by the

corresponding possessive pronoun endings.
1. s-stilu dyal John.
2. l-ktab dyal Amber.
3. d-dar dyal Driss u Zubida.
.
.
.
14 Moroccan Arabic
Demonstrative Adjectives & Demonstrative

Pronouns
This, that, these, and those are used often in Arabic, like in English. But, unlike in
English, in Arabic we must be aware of whether they act as adjectives or pronouns. Think
about how we use these words in English. Sometimes, we use them before a noun. When
we use them before a noun, they are called demonstrative adjectives.
This car is Johns.
I like these towels.
I want that book.
Those flowers smell lovely.
Sometimes, we use them by themselves. In this case, they are called demonstrative
pronouns.
This is Johns.
I like these.
I want that.
Those smell lovely.
It isnt necessary to know their names, but it is necessary to pay attention to whether
they are before a noun or not. Lets first look at the pronoun forms in Arabic, which you
will use often even as a beginner.
Demonstrative Pronouns
this (masc.)
hada
this (fem.)
hadi
these (plur.)
hadu
that (masc.)
hadak
that (fem.)
hadik
those (plur.)
haduk
These forms may be used at the beginning of a sentence, in the middle or at the end of a
sentence, or in questions. In Arabic, these pronouns can represent people.
This is a chair.
hada kursi.
This is a table.
hadi tbla.
This is Abdallah.
hada Abdallah.
This is Aicha.
hadi Aicha.
Whats this? (masc. object)
nu / a hada?
Whats this? (fem. object)
nu / a hadi?
Who is this? (masc.)
kun hada?
Who is this? (fem.)
kun hadi?
What is that? (masc. object)
nu / a hadak?
Who is that? (fem.)
kun hadik?
.

.

.

.
At first, you may have difficulty knowing whether to use the masculine or feminine form of
this or that. Moroccans should understand you even if you make an error with gender,
however.
Exercise:Write as many correct sentences as you can using the

words from the following table.

e.g.
hada rajl mzyan.

.
(This is a good man.)
hada
wld (masc. sing.)
mzyan (masc. sing.)
hadi
hadu
hadak
hadik
haduk
bnt (fem. sing.)
qhwa (fem. sing.)
wlad (masc. plur.)
rajl (masc. sing.)
dar (fem. sing.)
yalat (fem. plur.)
mdina (fem. sing.)
bnat (fem. plur.)
mzyanin (masc. plur.)
mzyana (fem. sing.)
mzyanat (fem. plur.)
kbir (masc. sing.)
kbira (fem. sing.)
blad (masc. sing.)
frana (fem. sing.)
kbar (masc./fem. plur.)
fran (masc. sing.)
franin (masc. plur.)
franat (fem. plur.)
:the /sh/ sound as in shea:the a in father or the a in madx:the ch in the German Bach or
thei:the ee in meetScottish loch See page144.u:the oo in food:the French r, like a light
garglek:the normal /k/ soundSee page 145.q:like the English /k/ but pronounced t: pronounced like
t, d, and s, but with a lower pitch and a greater tension in the tongue and throat. See page
145.further back in the throat. See page 144.d: s:
16 Moroccan Arabic
Demonstrative Adjectives
this/these (masc. / fem. /
plur.)
had
that (masc.)
dak
that (fem.)
dik
those (plur.)
duk
As you can see, the this/these form (had) is the same for masculine, feminine, and
plural. For all the demonstrative adjectives, you must use the definite article in front of
the nouns that follow them. This means using an l in front of moon letters or doubling
the first letter of sun letters (see page 146).
this man
had r-rajl
this woman
had l-mra
these men
these women
had r-rjal
had l-yalat
This city is big.
had l-mdina kbira.
That house is big.
dik d-dar kbira.

.
.
Talking about a General Situation
Intermediate
Topic
Sometimes in English, we use the words this and that to talk about general situations,
not about specific things.
Some of the students are always late for class. I dont like that.
In Arabic, different expressions are used for these meanings.
this (general situation)
had -i
that (general situation)
dak -i
After some experience hearing native speakers, you should be able to know when to use
the normal demonstrative pronouns and when to use these expressions. Some examples:
What is this? (this thing, this
a hada?
object)
What is this? (situation,

affair)
a had -i?
I want that. (that thing, that

object)
bit hadak.
Thats what I want. (a

situation or outcome)
dak -i l-li bit.
.
Intermediate
Topic
Using a Demonstrative Pronoun to Express Duration
With a present tense verb form, an active participle expressing current activity, or an
equational sentence, the demonstrative pronoun hadi is used to express duration, like the
English present perfect tense or present perfect progressive tense. It is used with a time
expression and u (and) followed by the rest of the sentence:
hadi + time expression + u + rest of sentence
Ive been waiting for you for
two hours. (Literally: This is
hadi sa tayn u ana

kan-tsnak.

two hours and I am waiting
for you.)
Hes been asleep for a long
time. (Literally: This is a long hadi muda u huwa na s.
time and he is sleeping.)
Hes been in Morocco for

three years. (Literally: This is hadi tlt snin u huwa
three years and he is in
f l-marib.
Morocco.)
Asking about Possession

The possessive word dyal ( )may be used with mn ( )to mean whose.
Whose book is this?
dyal mn had l-ktab?
This is Ambers book.
had l-ktab dyal Amber.
Is this Hichams book?
we had l-ktab dyal Hicham?
No, its not his.
lla, mai dyalu.
Whose house is this?
dyal mn had d-dar?
This house is Malikas.
had d-dar dyal Malika.
Is this house Malikas?
we had d-dar dyal Malika?
Yes, its hers.
iyeh, dyalha.
we had
ddar
dyal
Malika?
iyeh,
dyalha.
18 Moroccan Arabic
Exercise:Ask a question about possession for each picture.

Then, give the correct answer. The first one is done for
you.
Hassan
Q: dyal mn had l-bisklit?

A: had l-bisklit dyal Hassan.
?
Q: _______________________?
A: ___________________Said.
Said
_______________
____________.
?
Ahmed
_______________
____________.
Q: _______________________?
A: __________________Ahmed.
?
Aziz
Q: _______________________?
A: ___________________Aziz.
_______________
____________.
Useful Expressions
Here are some expressions to help you with homestay, travel, and other situations where
your language may not yet be at a point where you are able to communicate well in
Moroccan Arabic. If you follow the pronunciation of the transcriptions, Moroccans should
understand you. More expressions can be found in the appendix. See page 157.
Mealtime Expressions
In the name of God (said when
you begin an activity: eating,
drinking, working, studying,
traveling, etc.).
Thanks to God (said after
bismillah
finishing a meal, or after

expressing that all is well in life).
l-amdullah
I dont eat ...

eggs
fish
chicken
ma-kan-akul-...l-lm
l-bid
l-ut
d-djaj
meat

/ /
/.
I drink tea / coffee without

sugar.
kan-rb atay / l-qhwa bla

skkar.
I eat everything.
kan-akul kuli.
I eat vegetables only.
kan-akul ir l-xodra.
I dont feel like eating.
ma-fiya ma-y-akul.
I want just/only ...
bit ir ...
I dont want to have

breakfast.
ma-bit- n-ftr.
The food is delicious.
l-makla bnina.
Im full.
b t.
I want to learn how to cook.
bit n-t llm n-tiyb.
May God replenish / reward

you. (said after a meal to thank
lla y-xlf.
bssa.
/
.
.

.
...
.
.
.
.
host)
To your health (said to someone

after eating, drinking, coming out
of the hammam, wearing new
clothes, having a hair cut, etc.)
May God grant you health

too. (response to the above)
lla y-tik ssa
Thanking Expressions
Thank you.
ukran.
Youre welcome.
bla jmil.
20 Moroccan Arabic
Expressions for Nighttime / Sleeping

Im tired. (male speaker)
ana iyan.
Im tired. (female speaker)
ana iyana.
I want to read a little bit.
bit n-qra wiya.
I want to go to bed.
bit n-n s.
Where I am going to sleep?
fin adi n-n s.
Excuse me, I want to go to

bed. (addressing a group of
smu li, bit n-mi n-n s.
.
.

.
people)
I want to go to bed early.
bit n-n s bkri.
I want to get up early.
bit n-fiq bkri.
I want a blanket.
bit wad l-manta.
Hygiene/Cleanliness Expressions
I want to wash my hands
with soap.
bit n-sl yddi b s-sabun.
I want to brush my teeth.
bit n-sl snani.
I want hot water, please.
bit l-ma s-sxun afak.
I want to take a shower.
bit n-duw.
I want to go to the
hammam.
bit n-mi l-mmam.
I want to change my clothes. bit n-bddl wayji.

Where is the toilet?
fin bit l-ma?
I want to do laundry.
bit n-sbbn wayji.
Where can I do laundry?
fin ymkn n-sbbn wayji.
.

.

.
.
Offering Help / Asking for Favors

Can I help you?
we n-awnk?
Excuse me. (to a man)
sm li.
Excuse me. (to a woman)
smi li.
Give me ... please.
tini ... afak.
... .
Being Sick
Im sick. (male speaker)
ana mrid.
Im sick. (female speaker)
ana mrida.
I want to rest a bit.
bit n-rta swiya.
Do you feel better?
briti wiya?
Transportation Expressions
I want to go to ...
bit n-mi l ...
...

Take me to ... please.
ddini l ... afak.
Stop here, please.
wqf hna afak.
Is the meter on?
we l-kuntur xddam?
Turn on the meter, please.
xddm l-kuntur afak.
... .
Responses to Problems/Difficulties/Apologies
Its not a problem.
mai mukil.
There is no problem.
ma-kayn mukil.
Congratulations
Congratulations.
mbruk
Happy holiday.
mbruk l-id.
May God grant you grace.
lla y-bark fik.
(response to the above)
.
.
Communication
I dont understand.
ma-fhmt-.
I dont know.
ma-n-rf.
Slowly please.
b wiya afak.
Repeat please. (to a man)
awd afak.
Repeat please. (to a woman) awdi afak.
What did you say?
nu glti?
.
.
22 Moroccan Arabic
Numerals
Objective: By the end of the chapter, you will be able to :
count in Moroccan Arabic
combine numbers with nouns to indicate amounts
ask and answer questions about time
When we talk about numerals, we want to be able to do two things. First, we have to be
able to count. That is, we have to learn our numbers. Second, we have to be able to use
the numbers with objects. In other words, we have to be able to say things like five
apples or twenty-seven students or one hundred forty-three volunteers.
In English, we never think of these two tasks separately. We simply use a number in
combination with the plural form of some object. In Arabic, however, we have to learn
how to combine different numbers with objects, sometimes using a plural form,
sometimes a singular, sometimes with a letter in between the two, sometimes not. As in
all things Arabic, what seems difficult now becomes natural with time.
Cardinal Numbers
Cardinal numbers refer to the normal numbers we use (one, two, three...). They are
different than ordinal numbers (first, second, third...) and fractions (one-half, one-third,
one-fourth...). For now, we start with the cardinal numbers. We will work with ordinal
numbers and fractions later.
Numbers 1 thru 10
In Moroccan Arabic, there are two ways to combine the numbers 3 thru 10 with an object.
We sometimes use the full or normal form of the number, and sometimes we use a
short form of the number. Here is a table listing the full form of numbers 1 thru 10 and
the short form of numbers 3 thru 10.
Full Forms
Short Forms
one (masc.)
wad
one (fem.)
wda
two
juj
three
tlata
tlt
four
rb a
rb
five
xmsa
xms
six
stta
seven
sb a
sb
eight
tmnya
tmn
nine
ts ud
ts
ten
ra
stt

For the numbers 3 thru 10, we combine the full form of a number and a noun like this:
number (full form) + d ( )+ plural noun with definite article
For the numbers 3 thru 10, we combine the short form of a number and a noun like this:
number (short form) + plural noun (no definite article)
Eight books (using full form)
tmnya d l-ktub
Five dirhams (using full

form)
xmsa d d-drahm
Five dirhams (using short

form)
xms drahm
The numbers one and two have some special qualities.

The number one (wad/wda) differs from all other numbers because in Arabic, it acts
like an adjective. This means that it comes after a noun, like other adjectives, and that it
must agree in gender with the noun, like other adjectives.
one book (book is masc.)
ktab wad
one girl (girl is fem.)
bnt wda
Sometimes, you may hear wad (not wda) used before a noun. In this case, it
is not acting as a number, but rather as an indefinite article (like the English a
or an). Dont worry about it now, just be aware of it.
Intermediate
Topic
a book
wad l-ktab
a girl
wad l-bnt
The number two (juj) can be used as a full or short form with plural nouns.
two books
juj d l-ktub
two books
juj ktub
However, when two is part of a compound number (as in twenty-two), a different form is
used. Here, we use the form tnayn (). This will be shown in the section on numbers
from 20 thru 99.
Dual noun forms
In English, nouns have a singular and a plural form. In Arabic, nouns also have a singular
and plural form, but a small number of nouns also have a dual form. The dual form is
used for these nouns when we refer to two of something. For nouns that have a dual
form, therefore, we dont use juj. The dual form includes the idea of two. The dual
form is usually made by adding ayn to the end of the singular form. In the following
tables, the first three examples have dual forms, but the last two are normal and
therefore use their plural form.
24 Moroccan Arabic
Singular Form
day
yum
month
hr
year
am
Dual Form
yumayn
hrayn
amayn
But...
Singular Form
week
simana
minute
dqiqa
Plural Form
juj d s-simanat
juj dqayq
Numbers 11 thru 19
The numbers 11 thru 19 do not have a short form. Only numbers 3 thru 10 have a short
form.
eleven
d a
twelve
tna
thirteen
tlta
fourteen
rb ta
fifteen
xmsta
sixteen
stta
seventeen
sb ta
eighteen
tmnta
nineteen
ts ta
Yes
the
For numbers 11 thru 19, we can combine a number and a noun like this:
singular!
In Arabic, the
r ()
plural form is
or
number
+ + singular noun (no definite article)
only used for
l ()
numbers
2
sixteen years
stta r am
sixteen years
stta l am
eighteen girls
tmnta r bnt
eighteen girls
tmnta l bnt
Numbers 20, 30, 40 ... 99

For a multiple of ten (20, 30, 40 etc.) in Arabic, we simply use the name for that number,
like in English. For numbers such as 21, 22, or 23, however, it is not like English. In
Arabic, the ones digit is pronounced first, followed by the word and, then followed by
the tens digit. For example, in Arabic the number 21 is literally one and twenty while
the number 47 is literally seven and forty. Also, remember that for the numbers 22, 32,
42, 52, 62, 72, 82, and 92, we do not use juj. Rather, we use tnayn. Here is a list of the
multiples of ten, with examples of numbers between each multiple:

twenty
rin
twenty-one
literally: one and twenty
wad u rin
twenty-two
literally: two and twenty
tnayn u rin
twenty-three
literally: three and twenty
tlata u rin
twenty-four
rb a u rin
Remember: tnayn, not juj
thirty
tlatin
thirty-one
wad u tlatin
thirty-two
tnayn u tlatin
thirty-three
tlata u tlatin
rb in
forty
forty-one
wad u rb in
forty-two
tnayn u rb in
fifty
xmsin
sixty
sttin
seventy
sb in
eighty
tmanin
ninety
ts in
ts ud u ts in
ninety-nine
For numbers 20 thru 99, we can combine a number and a noun like this:
number + singular noun (no definite article)
forty-two years
tnayn u rb in am
ninety dirhams
ts in drhm
thirty-eight books
tmnya u tlatin ktab
Numbers 100, 200, 300 ... 999

The Arabic word for 100 is miya. For 200, there is a dual form of miyatayn. For 300 thru
900, we use the short form of the numbers 3 thru 9 plus miya. For numbers such as 107
or 257, we will use the appropriate multiple of 100 followed by the word and and then
the rest of the number. Some examples:
one hundred
one hundred one
literally: one hundred and one
one hundred two

literally: one hundred and two
one hundred ten

literally: one hundred and ten
one hundred eleven
miya
miya u wad
miya u juj
miya u ra
miya u da
26 Moroccan Arabic
one hundred twenty-one
miya u wad u rin
literally: one hundred and two

and twenty
miya u tnayn u rin
one hundred ninety-nine
miya u ts ud u ts in
literally: one hundred and one

and twenty
one hundred twenty-two
two hundred
miyatayn
two hundred fifty-seven
miyatayn u sb a u xmsin
literally: two hundred and

seven and fifty
three hundred
tlt miya
three hundred forty-five
tlt miya u xmsa u rb in
literally: three hundred and five

and forty
four hundred
rb miya
five hundred
xms miya
six hundred
stt miya
seven hundred
sb miya
eight hundred
tmn miya
nine hundred
ts miya
ts miya u ts ud u ts in
nine hundred ninety-nine
Exact multiples of 100 (100, 300, 400, etc. not 137 or 278) are combined with a noun
like this:
number + t ( )+ singular noun
four hundred chairs
rb miyat kursi
six hundred ryal
stt miyat ryal
But when a number between 100 and 999 is not an exact multiple of 100 (e.g. 167, 492,
504), we combine the number with a noun according to the rule for the final digits of the
number.
105 books (use the rule for 5)
miya u xmsa d l-ktub
214 books (use the rule for
miyatayn u rb ta r ktab
14)
657 books (use the rule for

57)
stt miya u sb a u xmsin

ktab
Exercise:Match the number with the correct Arabic translation.

199
miya u ts ud u rb in
ts ud u sttin
149
miya u stta u xmsin

xmsa u sb in
137
miya u ts ud u ts in
2
11
75
d a

miya u sb a u tlatin
69
156
juj
Numbers 1000, 2000, 3000 ...

The word for thousand has the singular form alf, the dual form alfayn, and the plural
form alaf. The plural form is used with the short form of the numbers 3 thru 10 from 3
thousand to 10 thousand. Then we return to the singular form (like we do for all Arabic
nouns). Like the word for hundred, it is followed by and when the number is not an
exact multiple of 1000 (e.g. 1027 or 4738). From 1000 onward:
one thousand
alf
one thousand one
alf u wad
one thousand fifteen
alf u xmsta
one thousand three

hundred sixty-seven
(literally: one thousand and
three hundred and seven and
sixty)
two thousand
alf u tlt miya u sb a u

sttin
alfayn
two thousand twenty-two

three thousand
alfayn u tnayn u rin
tlt alaf
three thousand seven

hundred and fifty
tlt alaf u sb miya u

xmsin
four thousand
rb alaf
five thousand
xms alaf
six thousand
stt alaf
seven thousand
sb alaf
eight thousand
tmn alaf
nine thousand
ts alaf
nine thousand nine

hundred ninety-nine
ts alaf u ts miya u ts
ud u ts in
ten thousand
r alaf
eleven thousand
d a r alf
two hundred thousand
miyatayn alf
ts miya u ts ud u
ts in alf u ts miya
u ts ud u ts in
999,999
Exact multiples of 1000 can be combined with nouns in two ways:

number + singular noun
Or...
number + d ( )+ plural noun with definite article
five thousand boys
xms alaf wld
five thousand boys
xms alaf d l-wlad
28 Moroccan Arabic
Numbers larger than 1000 that are not exact multiples of 1000 are combined with nouns
according to the rules for the final digits, as you saw with numbers that were not exact
multiples of 100.
Larger Numbers
Singular
Plural
million(s)
mlyun
mlayn
billion(s)
mlyar
mlayr
Exercise:Correctly combine numbers with nouns by filling in

the blanks using the following numbers and any
necessary letters: 1, 3, 8, 13, 20, 400, or 1000. There
may be more than one correct answer for each.
3 d l-bnat
(the girls)
dar
(house)
stilu
(pen)
(dirham)
drhm
mutataww
i
(teacher)
otil
(hotel)
magana
(watch)
l-yalat
(the women)
(volunteer)
(men)
rjal
ustad
Ordinal Numbers / Fractions

Ordinal Numbers
For numbers 1 thru 12, there is a separate form for cardinal and ordinal numbers. From
13 on there is no difference between the cardinal and ordinal number.
first
l-luwl
second
t-teni
third
t-talt
fourth
r-rab
fifth
l-xams
sixth
s-sat / s-sads
seventh
s-sab
eighth
t-tamn
ninth
t-tas
tenth
l-ar
l-ad
eleventh
twelfth
t-tan
Ordinal numbers act like adjectives, and therefore must agree in gender and number with
the noun they describe. Listed are the masculine singular forms. To make the feminine
form, add a ( )to the ordinal number. To make it plural, add in ().
Masculine
l-luwl
t-talt
first
third
Feminine
l-luwla
t-talta
Plural
l-luwlin
t-taltin
Fractions
half
ns
third
tulut
fourth
rubu / rb
Time
To express time, we use the demonstrative pronoun hadi and the appropriate number
with the definite article (see page 146 for more info on the definite article). This means
that for 1:00, 5:00, 10:00, and 11:00, we will use the letter l ( )before the number, while
for the others, we will double the first consonant.
seven
s-sb a
j-juj
eight
t-tmnya
three
t-tlata
nine
t-ts ud
four
r-rb a
ten
l-ra
five
l-xmsa
eleven
l-d a
six
s-stta
twelve
t-tna
one
l-wda
two
Like in English, Arabic uses certain words to express things like quarter to five, half
past seven, etc.
before
ql
and
exactly
nian
quarter
rb
twenty
minutes
tulut
half
ns
quarter to
lla rob
five minutes
qsm
ten minutes
qsmayn
Some examples of asking and answering about time:

What time is it?
al hadi f s-sa a?
It is exactly one oclock.
hadi l-wda nian.
30 Moroccan Arabic
It is five minutes past two.
hadi j-juj u qsm.
It is ten minutes past three.
hadi t-tlata u qsmayn.

hadi r-rb a u rb .
It is a quarter past four.
.

.
It is twenty minutes past

five.
hadi l-xmsa u tulut.
It is twenty-five minutes
past six.
hadi s-stta u xmsa u rin.
It is seven thirty.
hadi s-sb a u ns.
It is eight thirty-five.
It is twenty minutes to nine.
hadi tmnya u xmsa u tlatin.

hadi t-ts ud ql tulut.
It is a quarter to ten.
hadi l-ra lla rob.
It is ten minutes to eleven
hadi l-d a ql qsmayn.
It is five minutes to twelve.
hadi t-tna ql qsm.
6:30 A.M.
s-stta u ns d s-sba
l-xmsa u rb d l-iya
5:15 P.M.

.

.

.

.

.

.
.

.

.
Exercise:Match the times with the correct Arabic translation.

10:30
l-wda u qsm
12:00
l-d a u qsmayn
1:05
2:20
t-tna nihan
l-ra ql tulut
11:10
l-ra u ns
9:40
j-juj u tulut
Exercise:Give the time in Arabic for each clock or watch.
32 Moroccan Arabic
Getting Started Shopping

convert between dirhams, ryals, and franks
buy items you need from a store
use the verb ba in simple sentences to indicate a desire
indicate the presence or absence or someone or something with
kayn
Money
l-flus
5
100
100 frank
20
1 dirham
100
20 ryal
20
5
When converting ryals to dirhams, divide by 20.

e.g. 100 ryals: 100 20 = 5 DH.
From
From
From
From
From
From
franks to ryals, divide by 5. For example, 200 franks 5 = 40 ryals.

franks to dirhams, divide by 100. For example, 200 franks 100 = 2 DH.
ryals to dirhams, divide by 20. For example, 40 ryals 20 = 2 DH.
ryals to franks, multiply by 5. For example, 40 ryals 5 = 200 franks.
dirhams to ryals, multiply by 20. For example, 2 DH 20 = 40 ryals.
dirhams to franks, multiply by 100. For example, 2 DH 100 = 200 franks.
Exercise:Convert the money amounts.

1. Convert to dirhams
35 ryal
150 ryal
365 ryal
270 ryal
555 ryal
2. Convert to ryals
10 DH
30 DH
25 DH
125 DH
19 DH
At the Hanoot
Vocabulary
store
anut
peanuts
kaw kaw
store keeper
mul l-anut
soda
l-monada
almonds
l-luz
bottle
l-qr a
chocolate
-klat
bottle of
water
qr a d l-ma
candies
l-lwa
Kleenex
kliniks
gum
l-mska
toilet paper
ppapiyi jinik
cookies
l-biskwi
tooth paste
dontifris
juice
l-asir
soap
s-sabun
bread
l-xubz
shampoo
-ampwan
jam
l-konfitur
detergent
tid
butter
z-zbda
bleach
javel
eggs
l-bid
batteries
l-jrat d
r-radyu
yogurt
danon
razor
r-razwar
milk
l-lib
tobacco store s-saka
coffee
l-qhwa
cigarettes
l-garru
tea
atay
package(s)
bakiya(t)
sugar
s-skkar
cheese
l-frmaj
money
l-flus
oil
z-zit
change
s-srf
Expressions
Do you have ... ?
Yes, I do (have).
we ndk ... ?
iyeh, ndi.
...
.
34 Moroccan Arabic
No, I dont (have).
lla, ma-ndi-.
Is there ... ?
we kayn ... ?
...
Yes, there is. (masc.)
iyeh, kayn / mujud
Yes, there is. (fem.)
iyeh, kayna / mujuda
No, there isnt. (masc.)
lla, ma-kayn-.
No, there isnt. (fem.)
lla, ma-kayna-.
Give me ... please.
tini ... afak.
What do you want maam /

sir?
nu biti a lalla/sidi?
How much?
bal?
Do you have change?
we ndk s-srf?
Do you have change for ... ?
we ndk s-srf dyal..?
Liter
liter
/
/
... .
/

...
itru
liter
rubu itru
liter
ns itru
1 liter
wad itru
2 liters
juj itru
I want a liter of milk.
bit ns itru d l-lib.
Dialogue
Karla: s-salamu alaykum.
mul l-anut: wa alaykum s-salam.
nu biti a lalla?
Karla: we ndk klat?
mul l-anut: iyeh, mujud a lalla.
Karla: tini juj bakiyat.
bal?
mul l-anut: tna l drhm.
Karla: hak, barak llah u fik.
mul l-anut: bla jmil
1. feen kayna Karla?
2. we rat l-lib?
3. nu rat mn l-anut?
4. al mn bakiya?
5. bal?
.
:
:
. :
. :
. :
. :
. :
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Verb to want
In Moroccan Arabic, the verb to want is ba (). This verb uses the past tense but has
a present tense meaning. When conjugated in the present tense, ba means to like
(see page 96).
I want
bit
you want (sing.)
biti
he wants
ba
she wants
bat
we want
bina
you want (plur.)
bitu
they want
bau
Verb + Noun Examples

I want tea.
bit atay.
Do you want coffee with

sugar?
we biti l-qhwa b skkar?
Ali wants a glass of water.
Ali ba kas d l-ma.
Driss and Fatima dont want

soda.
Driss u Fatima ma-bau-

l-monada.
.

.
Exercise:Make as many sentences as you can.

e.g. Hicham ba kuka.
Hicham
bgit
atay
hiya
ba
l-lib
bau
lwa b klat
bat
biti
ana
bina
qhwa bla skkar
na
bitu
kuka
ntuma
nta
nti
Fatima
huwa
huma
l-qhwa
asir l-limun
Listening Exercise
garsun: s-salamu alaykum.
Amy, Jack,
& Chris: wa alaykum s-salam.
garsun: a b l-xatr?

:
:
36 Moroccan Arabic
Jack: ana bit asir l-limun.

. :
garsun: waxxa a sidi, u nta?

Chris: ana bit qhwa ns ns.
. :
garsun: waxxa a sidi, u nti?

Amy: bit qhwa kla.
garsun: mrba, la r-ras u l-in.
:

. :
. :
1. nu ba Jack?
1.
2. we Amy bat lib sxun?
2.
3. nu ba Chris?
3.
Kayn for There is

The words kayn, kayna, and kaynin are actually the participles for the verb to be. In
Darija, however, we use them most often in the sense of there is or there are.
Affirmative
there is (masc. sing.)
kayn
there is (fem. sing.)
kayna
there are (plur.)
kaynin
Negative
there is not (masc. sing.)
ma-kayn-
there is not (fem. sing.)
ma-kayna-
there are not (plur.)
ma-kaynin-
Driss is at home.
Is there water in the bottle?
kayn Driss f d-dar.

we kayn l-ma f l-qr a?
Tom is not at the caf.
ma-kayn- Tom f l-qhwa.
There is food in the fridge.
kayna l-makla f t-tlaja.
There are many books on

the table.
kaynin bzzaf d l-ktub fuq

tbla.
.
.
Family
describe family members
use the verb to have in simple sentences
Cultural Points
Family ties are very strong in Morocco. Children remain in touch or live with the
family even if they get married (taking into consideration space available within the
house). Men are not expected to help in the kitchen. Roles of men and women may differ
in the city and in the country.
Family Members
Vocabulary
woman/wife
mra
man/husband
in-law(s)
nsib / nsab
rajl
step-son
rbib
girl/daughter
bnt
step-daughter
rbiba
boy/son
wld
grandfather
jdd
grandmother
jdda
uncle
(paternal)
mm
girls/daughters bnat
boys/sons/
children
wlad
the parents
l-walidin
the father
l'ab
These forms
are rarely
used in
the mother
l'om
the brother
l'ax
the sister
l'oxt
aunt (paternal) mma
uncle
(maternal)
xal
aunt
(maternal)
xala
my nephew
wld xuya
(brothers side)
my niece
bnt xuya
(brothers side)
my nephew
(sisters side)
wld xti
my niece
(sisters side)
bnt xti
my cousin
(mas.,
paternal)
wld mm(t)i
my cousin
(mas.,
maternal)
wld xal(t)i
Moroccan
Arabic.
Sometimes
they are used
with dyal.
More often,
we use the
forms my
father, my
sister, etc.
(my) brother
xu(ya)
brothers/
siblings
xut
(my) sister
xt(i)
sisters
xwatat
my cousin
bnt mm(t)i
(fem, paternal)
bnt xal(t)i
my cousin
38 Moroccan Arabic
(fem,
maternal)
For father, mother, brother, sister, aunt, and uncle, the word is almost always used with
a possessive pronoun. Thus, we say my father or his mother or your brother, but
rarely ever use them alone. The words brother, sister, aunt, and uncle take the
possessive pronoun endings you already learned (see page 8), but father and mother
have a couple irregularities.
my father
bba
your father
bbak
his father
bbah
her father
bbaha
my mother
mmi
your mother
mmk
his mother
mmu
her mother
mha
Exercise:Add the possessive endings to the following:

sister
xt
brother
uncle
xu
mm
aunt
mma
Expressions
How is Mohamed related to
you?
a kay-jeek Mohamed?
How is Amina related to

you?
a kat-jeek Amina?
My mom doesnt work.
mmi ma-xddama-.
My mom and dad are

divorced.
bba u mmi mtllqin.
I have two twin siblings.
ndi juj xut twam.
How many siblings do you

have?
al d l-xut ndk?
How many sisters do you

have?
al mn oxt ndk?
Whats your fathers name?
nu smit bbak?
How old is your brother?
al f mr xuk?
I have a younger brother.
ndi xuya sr mnni.
My (male) cousin and I are

the same age.
ana u wld mmi qd qd.
My older sister is a teacher.
xti lli kbr mnni ustada.
My younger brother goes to

school.
xuya lli sr mnni kay-qra.
Exercise:Describe the relationships between family members

for each arrow.
ex: 1. Fatima ______ Samira.
Fatima
Aziz
Ahmed
Karima
11
Samira
12
Mohame
d
Rachid
13
Youness
Verb to have
The verb to have nd ( )in the present tense:

I have
ndi
you have (sing.)
ndk
he has
ndu
she has
ndha
we have
ndna
you have (plur.)
ndkum
they have
ndhum
Moha and Fatima have two

daughters and a son.
Moha u Fatima ndhum juj

bnat u wld.
ndna ustad mzyan.
We have a good teacher.
To negate the verb, use ma ... ( ... ).

Do you have a house in
Morocco?
we ndk dar f l-mrib?
No, I dont. I have a house

in the U.S.
lla, ma-ndi-. ndi dar f

mirikan.
40 Moroccan Arabic
Exercise:Put the verb nd in the correct form.

1. xti _________ 24 am.
2. xuya _________ 2 wlad.
3. na _________ wld u tlata d
l-bnat.
4. huma _________ famila kbira.
5. we Mohamed _________ tomobil?
6. lla, _________.
24 ________ .
2 ________ .
________ .
________
.
________

________.
Exercise:Put sentences A thru I in the correct order for this

letter from Karim to Tom.
sabi Tom,
bitini n-hdr lik la l-famila dyali?
A. bba smitu Ali.
B. mmi ndha ir 52 am.
C. Hassan ndu 15 am u Mohamed ndu
20 am.
D. (kay-sknu m ana f d-dar) welakin xti
mzuwja.
E. rajlha smitu Moha. ndhum wad l-bnt
smitha Nadia.
F. ndoo 26 am.
G. smitha Hakima
H. ndi juj xut.
I. ana deba xal!
hdr liya la l-famila dyalk ta nta.
sabk, Karim

. .A
52
. .B
20

. .C

15
. .D
( (

.
.E
.
26 . .F
. .G
. .H
! .I
Practice Text
smiti John. baba smitu Stephen u mama
smitha Judy. ndi tlata d l-xut: juj bnat u
wld. xuya smitu Brian. huwa xddam f
wad -arika. xti Kathy. mzuwja u ndha
jooj drari: wld u bnt. l-wld mazal sir ndu
tlt hur. l-bnt ndha tmn snin u kat-mi l
l-mdrasa. xti s-sira, Mary, mazal kat-qra f
l-jami a.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
bat John, nu smitu?

u mmu, nu smitha?
al d l-xut nd John?
kun s-sir f l-a'ila d John?
we bnt xt John xddama?
.
. : .

.
.

. : .
.

.
.

1.
2.

3.
4.
5.

Directions
use prepositions to describe the locations of objects
give and receive directions to places around town
Prepositions
to / for
until
tta l
in / at
from
above / on
fuq
mn
below / under tt
with
(someone)
m a
in front of
qddam
with / by / by
means of
facing
mqabl m a
without
bla
behind
mura
on / about
la
next to
da
between
bin
before
qbl
of, belonging
to
d / dyal
after
b d
Exercise:fin l-kora?
1
kora
s
nduq
4
l-kora fuq s-snduq.
.

42 Moroccan Arabic
Directions
Vocabulary
hotel
l-otil
post office
l-bosta
train station
la-gar
bus station
l-matta
d
l-kiran
city bus stop
l-matta
d
t-tubisat
bank
l-banka
public bath
l-mmam
restaurant
r-ristora
caf
l-qhwa
cyber caf
s-siber
school
l-mdrasa
weekly
market
s-suq
hospital /
s-sbitar
health center
pharmacy
l-frmasyan
mosque
j-jam
public phone
t-telebutik
store
l-anut
avenue
-ari
street
z-znqa
alley
d-drb
far (from)
b id (mn)
close (to)
qrib (mn)
here
hna
there
tmma
) )
) )
Expressions
Where is ... please?
fin kayn(a) ... afak.
Is there a ... close?
we kayn(a) i ... qrib(a)?
Go straight.
sir nian.
Turn right.
dur l limn.
Turn left.
dur l lisr.
Go ahead a bit.
zid wiya l qddam.
Pass the first street.
fut z-znqa l-luwla.
The 2
nd
street, yes.
z-znqa tenya iyeh.
... ( ).
)(... )(
.
.
.
.
Dialogue

.

. :
Jason u Brahim f l-matta

d l-kiran.
Jason: s-salamu alaykum.
Brahim: wa alaykum s-salam.
Jason: fin la-gar afak?
Brahim: sir nian tta l z-znqa t-talta
u dur l lisr, u mn b d zid
nian tta l l-bar u dur l
limn. tmma la-gar.
. :
:
:

..
Jason: barak llah u fik.

Brahim: kat-tkllm l-rbiya mzyan!
. :
! :
Jason: wiya u safi.

Brahim: we nta fransawi?
Jason: lla, ana mirikani. lla y-hnnik.
Brahim: bslama.
. :

:
.
. :
. :
Exercise:Using the same map, give each person directions.

1.
2.
3.
4.
Dave is in the sbit ar and wants to go to l-bost a.

Anna is in the matta and wants to go to l-ot il.
Stephen is in the mari and wants to go to s-siber.
Hakim is in the anut and wants to go to l-mmam.
l-mmam
44 Moroccan Arabic
Past Events
talk about past activities with regular and irregular verbs
talk about what you did not do using negative sentences
ask about past experiences (Have you ever...) and respond (Ive
never...)
use object pronouns with verbs
ask varied questions with different question words
Time Vocabulary
Before we begin the past tense, lets learn some words that will help us describe when
past events took place. Then we will be ready to talk about some of our past activities.
Days of the Week

day
yum / nhar
Tuesday
t-tlat
) )
week
simana
Wednesday
l-arb
) )
Sunday
l-dd
) )
Thursday
l-xmis
Monday
l-tnin
) )
Friday
j-jm a
Saturday
s-sbt
June
yunyu
Months of the Year

month
hr
year
am
July
yulyuz
January
yanayr
August
ut
February
fbrayr
September
utnbir
March
mars
October
oktobr
April
abril
November
nuwanbir
May
may
December
dujanbir
season
fasl
summer
s-sif
seasons
fosul
fall
l-xrif
spring
r-rbi
winter
-ta
The Seasons
Time Expressions
had l-am
this

For year
information about the months of the Islamic calendar and some of the major religious events
l-am
lli fat159.
last
year

of the
year, see Moroccan Holidays
on page
last month
-hr lli fat

last week
s-simana lli fatt

yesterday
l-bar
today
l-yum
on (+ day of the week)

nhar
...

on Friday
in (+ month)
in August
at (+ time)
at 9:00
at dawn
in the morning
in the afternoon / evening
at night
at midnight
nhar j-jm a
f hr
f hr ut
f hr tmnya
f
f t-ts ud
f l-fjr
f s-sba
f l-iya
f l-lil
f ns l-lil

...

Past Tense Regular Verbs

Verbs in General
When learning verbs in a foreign language, we usually learn the infinitive form of the
verb (e.g. to eat), and then learn how to conjugate from that infinitive (I eat, he eats,
they eat). In Arabic, there are not infinitives for verbs in this way. Rather, we learn the
he form of the verb (i.e. third person masculine singular) in the past tense, and then
learn how to conjugate the other forms (I, you, she, etc.) from the he form. Because we
use this past tense he form like an infinitive for the purposes of learning verbs, if you
see something referred to as an infinitive, it is this form. Some examples:
he drank
rb
past tense
he form:
he hit
drb
like an
he sat
gls
infinitive
Whenever you are given a new verb in this book or by your teacher, it will be given to you
in this form. You will be able to conjugate verbs in the past or present tense based upon
this infinitive form.
The vast majority of Darija (Moroccan Arabic) verbs are made up of three letters (see
the verbs above). To these stems we can add prefixes (letters that we attach to the
beginning of a word) and suffixes (letters we attach to the end of a word) in order to
conjugate the verb. Stems with a vowel in the middle and stems with a vowel at the end
will differ from verbs with three consonants.
Regular Verbs in the Past Tense

When we say regular verb, we mean a verb that is conjugated according to rules that
the large majority of verbs in the language use. An irregular verb is conjugated
according to different rules. There are regular and irregular verbs for both the past and
present tense in Darija. However, irregular verbs that are similar in the past may be
different in the present. So, you need to realize that the groups of verbs categorized
together for the past tense may not always correspond to the groups in the present tense.
In general, regular verb refers to:
All 3-letter verbs without the long vowel a ( / )in the middle or end position
(i.e. 3-letter verbs made up only of consonants)
All verbs with more than 3 letters and not ending in a ( / )
To conjugate a regular verb in the past tense, we add the following suffixes (endings):
to write
Remember
that the
infinitive is
the same as
the past tense
he form.
ktb
In the
past
tense,
you
(masc.)
and you
(fem.)
are the
same. In
46 Moroccan Arabic
I wrote
ktbt
you wrote (masc.

sing.)
ktbti
you wrote (fem.

sing.)
ktbti
he wrote
ktb
she wrote
ktbat
we wrote
ktbna
you wrote (plur.)
ktbtu
they wrote
ktbu
Some Regular Verbs

to drink
to know
to play
rb
rf
l b
to draw
rsm
to sleep
n s
to wear
lbs
to stay / sit
gls
to enter
dxl
to go out
xrj
rj
to return
to watch
tfrrj
st ml
to use
Some examples:
Yesterday, I drank tea
without sugar.
Last week, Said wrote a
letter to his friend.
Last year, we traveled to
New York.
to understand
to work
to hit
to stop / stand
up
to arrive
to hear /
listen
to ask
to travel
to help
to send
to wash
to speak
l-bar, rbt atay bla skkar.

s-simana lli fatt, Said ktb bra
l sabu.
l-am lli fat, safrna l New
York.
fhm
xdm
drb
wqf
wsl
sm
suwl
safr
awn
sift
sl
tkllm

.

.
Exercise:Put the verbs in parentheses in the correct form.

Mohamed: we (n s) bkri l-bar?
Hassan: lla
Mohamed: la?
Hassan: (gls) m a l-a'ila dyali u
(tkllm) m ahum wiya. mn
b d, {na}(xrj). mlli (rj ), (l
b) l-karta u (tfrrj) f t-tlfaza.
mn b d {ana}(dxl) l l-bit
dyali u (n s).
)(
((( )
{ } .
( )( ).()
.
)(
}{ )(
) ).

l-dd lli fat, (awn) xti f l-kuzina: (sl)
l-mma n u (tiyb) l-da.
( ): )(
)(
.
Past Tense Irregular Verbs

When we speak about irregular verbs for the past tense, we refer to three categories: 1.
three-letter verbs with the long vowel a ( )in the middle position, 2. any verb with the
long vowel a ( / )at the end, and 3. two-letter verbs.
1st Category: long vowel a ( )in the middle position

To conjugate a three-letter verb in the past tense with the long vowel a in the middle
position, remove the long vowel a for the I, you (sing.), we, and you (plur.) forms
before adding the past tense endings. For the she form, only add a t. The he and they
forms are like regular verbs.
In these forms,
we remove the
middle a and
then add the
endings.
In these forms,
we keep the
middle a and
then add the
endings.
to be
kan
I was
knt
you were (masc. sing.) knti

you were (fem. sing.)
knti
he was
kan
she was
kant
we were
knna
you were (plur.)
kntu
they were
kanu
Some Irregular Verbs with long vowel a ( )in the middle position
to see
af
to do / make
to swim
dar
am
to sell
ba
to bring
jab
to say
to fast
to drive
gal
sam
sag
to get up /
nad
stand up
to throw
la
to pass / pass bydaz
to pass
to love / be
dying for
to increase
to be scared
to live
fat
mat la
zad
xaf
a
Some examples:
This morning I got up at
7:00.
had s-sba ndt f s-sb a.
What did you do yesterday?
nu drti l-bar?
Whats done is done.

(proverb)
lli fat mat.

.

.

s-simana lli fatt, ana u sabi (am) f
la-ppisin.
Sara (a) f mirikan amayn.
)(
.
)( .

48 Moroccan Arabic
nhar s-sbt f l-iya, ana u sabati (kan) f
l-mmam. mlli xrjna (daz) l l-qhwa.
)(
)( .
.
2nd Category: long vowel a ( / )at the end

To conjugate a verb with the long vowel a at the end, change the vowel to i for the I,
you (sing.), we, and you (plur.) forms, then add the normal endings. For the she
form, only add a t. The he and they forms are like regular verbs.
to eat
In these forms,
we change the
final a to i
then add the
endings.
In these forms,
we keep the final
a and then add
the endings.
kla
I ate
klit
you ate (masc. sing.)
kliti
you ate (fem. sing.)
kliti
he ate
kla
she ate
klat
we ate
klina
you ate (plur.)
klitu
they ate
klau
Some Irregular Verbs with the long vowel a ( / )at the end
to go
ma
to start
bda
to buy
ra
to sing
nna
to give
ta
to have
dinner
t a
to forget
nsa
to hope
tmna
to cry
bka
to wait
tsna
to want
ba
to read /
study
qra
to take
xda
to meet
tlaqa
to come
ja
to rent
kra
to run
jra
to finish
sala
to have lunch tdda
Some examples:
Last Sunday, I went to the
medina and bought a
jellaba.
l-dd lli fat, mit l l-mdina u

rit jllaba.
They sang at the party on

Saturday.
huma nnau f l-fla nhar

s-sbt.

John u Amy (kra) dar zwina f Marrakech.
l-bar ana u Paul (tlaqa) m a sabna f
r-ristora u (tdda) mjmu in.
s-simana lli fatt, huma (sala) l-xdma
dyalhum f l-mrib.
)( .
)(
(
).
)(

Moroccan Wisdom:
.
l-li ba l-sl y-sbr
l qris n-nl.
The one who wants honey must tolerate bee stings.
English equivalent: Every rose has its thorn.
3rd Category: two-letter verbs

When we say two-letter verbs, some confusion can arise. When we write them in
Arabic, they have only two letters. However, there is a shedda on the second letter (see
pages 3 and 145), so in the transcription we double the second letter, making them look
like three-letter verbs. In this case, you can still recognize them because the second and
third letters are the same. Or, look at the Arabic script and you can be sure of the fact
that they are, indeed, two-letter verbs.
To conjugate this type of verb, we add the long vowel i to the I, you (sing.), we, and
you (plur.) forms, then add the normal endings. The he, she, and they forms are like
regular verbs.
to open
In these forms,
we add i to the
verb, then add
the normal
endings.
In these forms,
we simply add
the normal
endings.
ll
I opened
llit
you opened (masc.

sing.)
lliti
you opened (fem.

sing.)
lliti
he opened
ll
she opened
llat
we opened
llina
you opened (plur.)
llitu
they opened
llu
A twoletter
verb with
shedda
on the
second
Some two-letter verbs

to close
sdd
to be able
qdd
to smell
mm
to pick up
hzz
to hand
mdd
to think
dnn
to answer /
return back
rdd
to be bored
mll
to pour
kbb
to take /
catch
dd
to feel
ss
to pull / drag
jrr
50 Moroccan Arabic
to put
tt
Some examples:
I opened the window and I
closed the door
llit s-srjm u sddit l-bab.
I felt cold
ssit b l-brd.

.

.

l-bar f s-sba, Mary (rdd) l-ktab l l-xizana.
mlli kan l-jaj, {ana} (sdd) s-srajm.
{na} (tt) l-wayj f l-makina d s-sabun.
)( .
(
}{ ) .
{ ).
{
(
Negation
Normal Negative Form
In order to express the negative of a verb (i.e. didnt, or dont, or doesnt), we add
the prefix ma ( )to the beginning of a verb and the suffix ( )to the end of a verb.
We drank.
rbna
We didnt drink.
ma-rbna-
Exercise:Conjugate the verbs in parentheses in the negative

form.
huwa (safr) s-simana lli fatt.
l-bar f l-lil (qra) l-ktab dyali it knt iyan.
)( .
)( .
iya (gls) m ana it (sala) l-xdma dyalha.
)( )(
.
)( ).
(
na (n s) bkri it (t a) bkri.
Kari (lbs) l-kswa j-jdida f l-fla it (kan)
ndha l-wqt.
mlli ja l l-mrib (sift) bra l l-walidin dyalu.
kant l-brd u {ana} (ll) s-srajm.
( )( )
.
)(
.
}{ ).
(
Additional Negative Forms

The following negative forms replace the ( )we use for the normal negative form. We
still use ma ( )before the verb, but we use these forms after the verb or, sometimes,
before the verb (and thus before ma).
nothing
walu
nothing
tta aja
nothing
tta i
no one
tta wad
no one
(tta) dd
((
neither ... nor
la ... wala
...
only / just
ir
Some examples:

I knew nothing.
ma-rft walu.
I ate nothing.
ma-kleet tta aja.
No one came.
tta wad ma-ja.
He saw no one.
ma-af tta wad / dd.
I met neither Mohamed nor

Amber.
ma-laqit la Mohamed wala

Amber.
I drank only water.
ma-rbt ir l-ma.
.
.
.
/ .
.
.
Exercise:Put the verbs in parentheses in the proper form.

l-dd lli fat (gls) f d -d ar, (xrj negative)
laqqa (kan) -ta. f l-iya sabi (ja) u
(ma) l s-siber bjooj. mn b d (ma) l
s-sinima. (af) wad l-film zwin. mlli (xrj),
(daz) l s-suq. (ra) l-xodra. mn b d (dd)
tobis u (rj )l d -d ar.
)( )(
)( )( .)(
( ). )( .
. )( ( ).
( )(
).)(
.
52 Moroccan Arabic
Exercise:Write a paragraph from these pictures.
Have you ever... / Ive never...

Have you ever...?
We can use the word mmr (
)to express the English equivalent of the present perfect
tense: Have you ever...? and I have never... We conjugate it as follows:
Have I ever...
we mmri / mmrni
Have you (sing.) ever...
we mmrk
Has he ever...
we mmru
Has she ever...
we mmrha
Have we ever...
we mmrna
Have you (plur.) ever...
we mmrkum
Have they ever...
we mmrhum

The verb that follows mmr is often in the past tense. Some examples:
Have you ever gone to
France?
we mmrk miti l Fransa?
Have they ever eaten

couscous?
we mmrhum klau l-ksksu?
Have you ever drunk mint

tea in America?
we mmrkum rbtu atay b n-n

na f mirikan?
Ive never...
This is like the conjugation above, with the addition of ma ( )at the beginning of mmr (
).
I have never...
ma-mmri / ma-mmrni
you (sing.) have never...
ma-mmrk
he has never...
ma-mmru
she has never...
ma-mmrha
we have never...
ma-mmrna
you (plur.) have never...
ma-mmrkum
they have never...
ma-mmrhum
Some examples:
Ive never eaten hamburger. ma-mmrni kleet l-hamborgr.
She has never been abroad. ma-mmrha safrat l l-xarij.
He has never spoken Arabic. ma-mmru tkllm l-rbiya.

.

.
Object Pronouns
In English, we have pronouns for the subject of a sentence: I, you, he, she, we, and they.
But we also have object pronouns that we use after verbs:
He hit me.
I saw her.
Ask him a question.
We gave them some cake.
So far, you have learned the independent pronouns (see page 6) and the possessive
pronouns (see page 8). Here are the object pronouns that we use in Moroccan Arabic
after verbs:
me
ni
you (sing.)
him / it
u/h
her / it
ha
us
na
you (plur.)
kum
them
hum
These pronouns are the same as the possessive pronouns, with the exception of me.
The him form uses u after consonants and h after vowels, exactly like the possessive
pronoun form. Some examples:
Omar gave a book to
Mohamed.
omar ta wad l-ktab l

Mohamed.
54 Moroccan Arabic
Omar gave it to Mohamed.
omar tah l Mohamed.
Did you write the letter to

Hassan?
we ktbti l-bra l Hassan?
Yes, I wrote it to Hassan.
iyeh, ktbtha l Hassan.
Why did you leave us with

him?
la xllitina m ah?
She saw me at the movie

theater.
aftni f s-sinima.
As you can see, these pronouns are attached directly to the verb. As a result, when a
verb with an object pronoun is made negative, the ( )is used after the pronoun.
Some examples:
You saw me.
ftini
You didnt see me.
ma-ftini-
Did you see Hakima and

Karim?
we fti Hakima u Karim?
No, I didnt see them.
lla, ma-fthum-.
Exercise:Replace the underlined nouns by the corresponding

pronouns.
1. qrit dik l-jarida l-bar f s-sba.
2. nsau s-sarut dyalhum f d-dar.

.
.
3. zrt duk n-nas f Fes l-bar.

4. ddau wldhum m ahum l s-sinima.
5. wqqfna ffar f z-znqa.
6. bba awn xuk f l-sab.

.

.
.
Question Words
Some of these you already know. Some will be new for you.
who
kun
Who are you?
kun nta / nti?
what
a / nu / anu
/

/ /
What did you do yesterday?
nu drti l-bar?
which
amn
Which bus did you take?
amn tobis xditi?
where
fin / fayn
Where did you eat pizza?
fin kliti l-ppitza?
how
kifa
How did you get to the

hotel?
kifa wslti l l-otil?
from where
mnin
Where did you come from?
mnin jiti?
when
fuqa / imta

When did you sleep
yesterday?
fuqa n sti l-bar?
When did you arrive?
imta wslti?
why
la
Why did you come late?
la jiti m ttl?
Because I didnt get up

early.
laqqa ma-nd t- bkri.
The word mn ( )is used after some prepositions to create question words.
with whom
m a mn
With whom did you travel to

Rabat? (In the US: Who did you
m a mn safrti l Rabat?
travel to Rabat with?)
whose
dyal mn
how many / how much
al
The question word al ( )may is followed by either d ( )or mn (), depending

upon the noun following it. Uncountable nouns are nouns that do not have a plural
because they speak about something that can be measured, but not counted (e.g.
tea, air). Countable nouns are nouns that have plural forms and, therefore, nouns with
which we use numbers (e.g. 5 cats, 3 books). With al:
al + d + singular uncountable noun
or
al + d + plural countable noun
or
al + mn + singular countable noun
How much time?
al d l-wqt?
How many books?
al d l-ktub?
How many books?
al mn ktab?
In referring to prices, al is almost always preceded by the preposition b ().

How much is this shirt?
bal had l-qamija?
How much did you pay for

them?
bal ritihum?
Exercise:Write your time line of activities for last Sunday. Use

the following time expressions and verbs to write as
many sentences as you can.
e.g. f l-weekend t it m a sabi f
r-ristora.
Time Expressions
Verbs
f l-weekend
tfrrj
f s-sba bkri
dar
t a
safr
56 Moroccan Arabic
f l-iya
f l-lil
mn b d
l-dd lli fat
f (time)
awn
sam
kbb

) )
ja
ma
dqq
tlaqa
xaf
wsl
af
qra
duw
tkllm
lbs
tsnna
sift
Daily Routines
talk about your daily activities using the present tense
use one verb after another to express complex thoughts
give commands with the imperative
Present Tense Regular Verbs

Present Tense in General
In Arabic, the present tense normally expresses both habitual and progressive actions.
habitual action:
I eat couscous every Friday.
progressive action: I am eating couscous now.
For a small number of verbs, the present tense expresses only habitual actions (see page
151 for more information on these verbs).
Unlike the past tense, which uses only suffixes (endings) to conjugate a verb, the present
)
tense uses both suffixes and prefixes. The present tense prefix is written with ka (
and another letter (n, t, or y). Present tense suffixes (i or u) may be added as well.
Regular Verbs in the Present Tense

Verbs that were regular in the past tense are still regular in the present tense. In addition
to these, two-letter verbs are also regular in the present tense. Therefore, they will
be conjugated like ktb ( )in the present tense. See page 49 for more information on
two-letter verbs.
Here is the conjugation of the verb ktb in the present tense, with prefixes and suffixes
underlined:
Yes,
these
are the
same.
You
understa
to write
ktb
I write
kan-ktb
you write (masc.

sing.)
kat-ktb
you write (fem. sing.) kat-ktbi
he writes
kay-ktb
she writes
kat-ktb
we write
kan-ktbu
you write (plur.)
kat-ktbu
they write
kay-ktbu
These
have
different
conjugati
ons. In
the past
tense,
they had
Q: What changes are brought to the verb when conjugated in the present tense?
58 Moroccan Arabic
Time Expressions
always
dima
usually
aliban
sometimes
b d l-mrrat
from time to time
mrra mrra
once a ...
mrra f ...
once a year
mrra f l-am
once a month
mrra f l-hr
once a week
mrra f s-simana
everyday
yawmiyan
on (day of the week)
nhar ...
on Saturday
nhar s-sbt
every ...
kul ...
every morning
kul sba
every Friday
kul jm a
now
deba

...

...
Some examples:
Greg speaks Darija well.
Greg kay-tkllm d-darija

mzyan.
Malika drinks milk every

morning.
Malika kat-rb l-lib kul sba.
Amina and her friend travel

to France once a year.
Amina u sabtha kay-safru l

fransa mrra f l-am.
Aicha is pouring tea.
Aicha kat-kbb atay.
I dont drink coffee.
ma-kan-rb- l-qhwa.
.

.

.
.

.

Exercise:Answer the following sentences (based on the

examples above) in the negative.
1. we Greg kay-tkllm tamazit mzyan?
2. we Malika kat-rb atay kul sba?
3. we Amina u sabtha kay-safru l
mirikan mrra f l-am?
4. we Aicha kat-kbb l-ma?

1.

2.

3.

4.

Exercise:Describe in the present tense the following activities.

/
/

nu kay-dir / kat-dir / kay-diru?
Present Tense Irregular Verbs with Middle

a
Categories of Present Tense Irregular Verbs
Irregular Verbs in General

Irregular verbs in the present tense
are more complicated than in the
past tense.
In the past tense,
verbs with the same structure (a
in the middle, a at the end) were
conjugated the same way. In the
present tense, verbs that look the
same in their infinitive form may
be conjugated differently.
As a result of this difference, in the
present tense you will have to
remember which category of
conjugation each irregular verb
belongs to. These categories are
listed in the diagram to the right,
and each will be shown individually.
The glossary of verbs in the
appendix (see page 164) also shows,
by example, how an irregular verb is
conjugated.
Presen
t
Tense
Irregul
ar
Verbs
long
vowel
a in
the
middle
long
vowel
a at
the
end
a
becomes
u
a
becomes i
a remains
a
a
becomes i
a remains
a
internal
changes
60 Moroccan Arabic
We will deal with two large groups of irregular verbs: 3-letter verbs with a long vowel a
in the middle and all verbs with a long vowel a at the end. Within each of these general
groups, there will be three categories of different conjugations. At times, it may seem like
too much information to handle. But Peace Corps trainees have been learning the
irregular present tense for years; youll do great. Practicing irregular verbs with your
homestay family is one way to remember how each verb is conjugated. The more you use
the verbs, the quicker they will stick in your memory.
1st Category: Long a Becomes Long u

Remember, here we are dealing with 3-letter verbs with a ( )in the middle. The long
vowel a ( )changes to the long vowel u (), with the same prefixes and suffixes as regular
verbs in the present tense.
to say
gal
I say
kan-gul
you say (masc. sing.)
kat-gul
you say (fem. sing.)
kat-guli
he says
kay-gul
she says
kat-gul
we say
kan-gulu
you say (plur.)
kat-gulu
they say
kay-gulu
Verbs like gal

to be
kan
to pass
fat
to blame
lam
to see
af
to die
mat
to swim
am
to drive / ride sag
to taste
daq
to fast
sam
to throw
la
to melt
dab
to turn
dar
to pass
daz
to visit
zar
Some examples:
Muslims fast Ramadan
every year.
l-mslmin kay-sumu rmdan

kul am.
Lisa swims well.
Lisa kat-um mzyan.
This driver doesnt drive

well.
had -ifur ma-kay-sug-

mzyan.
.
.

.
When the verb to be, kan ( )is conjugated in the present tense, it expresses a
habitual action or activity, not a current state or condition.
Where are you (every)
Saturday afternoon?
fin kat-kun nhar s-sbt f

l-iya?
In order to express current states or conditions, use independent pronouns with adjectives
or nouns (see page 6) or use the participles of kan (( )see page 36). You have already
learned both!
62 Moroccan Arabic

/
/

2nd Category: Long a Becomes Long i

In this category, the long vowel a ( )in the middle of the verb changes to the long vowel i
(), with the same prefixes and suffixes as regular verbs in the present tense.
to bring
jab
I bring
kan-jib
you bring (masc.

sing.)
kat-jib
you bring (fem. sing.) kat-jibi
he brings
kay-jib
she brings
kat-jib
we bring
kan-jibu
you bring (plur.)
kat-jibu
they bring
kay-jibu
Verbs like jab

to add
zad
to fly
tar
to be absent
ab
to leak
sal
to be cooked
tab
to wake up
faq
to do / make
dar
sell
ba
to fall
ta
to touch
qas
to trust
taq
Some examples:
Hassan sells (is selling)
vegetables in the souq.
Hassan kay-bi l-xodra f

s-suq.
I dont wake up early on

Sundays.
ma-kan-fiq- bkri nhar l-dd.
What do you do on
nu kat-dir nhar s-sbt?
.

.


Saturdays?

/
/

3rd Category: Long a Remains Long a

In this category, the long vowel a ( )remains the same, without any changes, with the
same prefixes and suffixes as regular verbs in the present tense.
to spend the night
bat
I spend the night
kan-bat
you spend the night

(masc. sing.)
kat-bat
you spend the night

(fem. sing.)
kat-bati
he spends the night
kay-bat
she spends the night
kat-bat
we spend the night
kan-batu
you spend the night

(plur.)
kat-batu
they spend the night
kay-batu
Verbs like bat

to appear
ban
to look like
ban bal
to owe
sal
to be scared
xaf
Some examples:
The mouse is scared of the
cat.
l-far kay-xaf mn l-qt.
You look like you are sick.
kat-ban bal ila mrid .
64 Moroccan Arabic
Present Tense Irregular Verbs with Final

a
Now we change our focus from verbs with a long vowel a ( )in the middle of the verb to
those with a long vowel a ( )at the end of the verb.
1st Category: Long a Becomes Long i

In this category, the long vowel a ( )changes to the long vowel i (), with the same
prefixes and suffixes as regular verbs in the present tense.
to run
These
have the
same
conjugati
on in this
jra
I run
kan-jri
you run (masc. sing.)
kat-jri
you run (fem. sing.)
kat-jri
he runs
kay-jri
she runs
kat-jri
we run
kan-jriu
you run (plur.)
kat-jriu
they run
kay-jriu
Verbs like jra

to build
bna
to go
ma
to pray
slla
to buy
ra
to cry
bka
to like / love
ba
to clean
nqqa
to show
wrra
to sing
nna
to come
ja
to fold
twa
to smoke
kma
to fry
qla
to teach
qrra
to turn off
tfa
to finish
sala
Some examples:
Hassan sings (is singing) in
the shower.
Hassan kay-nni f d-du.
I dont smoke hash.
ma-kan-kmi- l-i.
Do you run every morning?
we kat-jri kul sba?

/
/

2nd Category: Long a Remains Long a

In this category, the long vowel a ( )remains the same, without any changes, with the
same prefixes and suffixes as regular verbs in the present tense.
to read / study
qra
I read
kan-qra
you read (masc.

sing.)
kat-qra
you read (fem. sing.)
kat-qray
he reads
kay-qra
she reads
kat-qra
we read
kan-qrau
you read (plur.)
kat-qrau
they read
kay-qrau
Verbs like qra

to forget
nsa
to defy
tdda
to find
lqa
to eat lunch
tdda
tmnna
to eat dinner
t a
to hope
to meet
tlaqa
to be cured
bra
to go
shopping
tqdda
to be finished tsala
to walk
around
tsara
to take care
(of)
thlla (f)
) )
66 Moroccan Arabic
Some examples:
From time to time we eat
dinner at the restaurant.
mrra mrra kan-t au f

r-ristora.
I dont go shopping every

day.
ma-kan-tqdda- kul yum.
How many books do you

read in a month?
al mn ktab kat-qra f -hr?
.

.


/
/

Moroccan Wisdom:

drb
l-did maddu sxun.
Strike while the iron is hot.
3rd Category: Verb Has Internal Changes
Two verbs in Moroccan Arabic are conjugated in the present tense by changing their
internal structure in addition to adding the normal prefixes and suffixes.
In these forms, the

u is pronounced
very quickly. Thus,
one shouldnt say
kan-akuuuuul,
but rather
kan-akul
to eat
kla
I eat
kan-akul
you eat (masc. sing.)
kat-akul
you eat (fem. sing.)
kat-akuli
he eats
kay-akul
she eats
kat-akul
we eat
kan-aklu

you eat (plur.)
kat-aklu
they eat
kay-aklu
Another Verb like kla

to take
xda
Some examples:
Every Friday we eat
couscous.
kul jm a kan-aklu ksksu.
She takes medicine before

she goes to bed.
kat-axud d-dwa qbl

ma t-n s.

.

.


/
/

68 Moroccan Arabic
Using One Verb after Another

Sometimes, we will want to use one verb directly after another. This is true in English:
I want to read.
He likes to cook.
We forgot to call you.
She began to study yesterday.
As the examples show, in English we use the infinitive after a verb (to read, to cook, to
call, to study). But in Arabic, as you recall, there isnt actually an infinitive for verbs (see
page 45). Instead, we use the present tense of a verb without the opening ka.
This will serve as the equivalent of the English infinitive when we use one verb after
another.
Present
Tense
Without
ka
Used after ba
I want to go.
kan-mi
n-mi
bit n-mi
You want to go.
kat-mi
t-mi
biti t-mi
He wants to go.
kay-mi
y-mi
ba y-mi
She wants to go.
kat-mi
t-mi
bat t-mi
We want to go.
kan-miu
n-miu
bina n-miu
You want to go.
kat-miu
t-miu
bitu t-miu
They want to go.
kay-miu
y-miu
bau y-miu
Some more examples:

I hope to speak Darija well.
kan-tmnna n-tkllm d-darija

mzyan.
He forgot to bring the

book.
nsa y-jib l-ktab.
.

.
Using with Other Expressions

This same construction is used after other words and expressions. The most important of
these is bash (). This word is the equivalent of the English in order to. Some
examples:
Latifa went to the post office
in order to send a letter.
I went to Marrakech in
order
to see my friend.
Latifa mat l l-bosta ba ts ift bra.
mit l Marrakech
ba n-uf sabi.
Exercise:Combine the following words into sentences, using

the proper conjugations of verbs and pronouns.
1. Amina / ma / l l-bost a / ba / ra / kart d t-tilifun.
2. huwa / ba / ma / l mirikan / ba / qra.
3. na / ja / l l-mrib / ba / awn / nas dyalu / u / t rrf / lihum / u /
{huma} rf {na} / mzyan.
The Imperative
The imperative is used to give commands: Go to the store! Open the window! Study
Arabic! The positive imperative tells someone to do something, the negative imperative
tells someone not to do something.
The positive imperative is formed by dropping both the ka ( )and the prefix t ( )from
the singular and plural you forms of the present tense. In the following table, all the
examples are equal to the English command, Write!
Present Tense
you (masc.
sing.)
you (fem. sing.)
you (plur. sing.)
Imperative
kat-ktb
ktb
kat-ktbi
kat-ktbu
ktbi
ktbu
The negative imperative is formed by dropping the ka ( )and using the negative form
ma... (...). In the following table, the first verb is gls, to sit, and the negative
imperatives are equivalent to the English Dont sit! The second verb is wqf, to stand /
stop and the negative imperatives are equivalent to the English Dont stand up!
Present Tense
you (masc.
sing.)
kat-gls
you (fem. sing.) kat-glsi
Imperative
gls
glsi
Negative Imperative
ma-t-gls-
ma-t-glsi-
ma-t-glsu-
you (plur.
sing.)
kat-glsu
glsu
you (masc.
sing.)
kat-wqf
wqf
ma-t-wqf-
wqfi
ma-t-wqfi-
wqfu
ma-t-wqfu-
you (fem. sing.) kat-wqfi

you (plur.
sing.)
kat-wqfu
Some Irregular Imperatives

For the following three verbs, the positive imperative is not regular.
1. to go
ma
sir
ma-t-mi-
siri
ma-t-mi-
Go.
Dont go.
siru
ma-t-miu-
2.
to come
Come.
3.
to give
ja
aji
aji
ajiu
ta / ara
ara
Give me.
Dont come.
ma-t-tini-
aray
arau
ma-t-ji-
ma-t-ji-
ma-t-jiu-
Dont give
me.
ma-t-tini-
ma-t-tiuni-
70 Moroccan Arabic
Exercise:Put the verbs between parentheses in correct form,

then arrange the sentences in the correct order.
A. mn b d (lbs) wayji.
B. (sl) wjhi u snan, mn b d (fiyq) d-drari.
C. ana (nad) f 7:30.
D. f l-iya (tqdda) wlla (xmml) d-dar.
E. ana (xdm) tta l 1:00 mn b d (tdda).
F. (wjd) l-ftur.
G. na (t a) mjmu in.
H. ana (n s) aliban f 11:00.
I. ana (dd) t-tubis f 8:00 ba (ma) l-xdma.
J. d-drari (n s) f 8:00.
)( .
(( )(
.
7:30 )( .
(
)
(
).
)1:00 ) )( .
(( .
).
(
11:00 )( .
8:00 (
)
)( .
8:00 )( .
Exercise:Write a paragraph out of each set of pictures.

John
Bobby
Text
kifa kat-duwz n-nhar?

Susan mutatawi a m a hay'at s-salam. kul nhar
kat-fiq bkri u kat-jri. mn b d kat-duw u kat-ftr.
dima f s-sba kat-xdm tta l 11:30. mlli kat-sali,
kat-rj l
d-dar. kat-wjjd l-makla u kat-tdda. f l-iya
kat-tqdda u b d l-mrrat kat-laqa sabha wlla
kat-mi l s-siber. f l-lil kat-t a u dima kat-qra
qbl ma t-n s.
1. nu kat-dir Susan? we turist?
2. we kat-xdm f l-iya?
3. nu kat-dir qbl ma t-n s?
4. nu kat-dir kul nhar?
.
.

.11:30
.
.

.

.

1.

2.

3.

4.
Bargaining
bargain for basic items, such as clothing
describe the colors of items
use masculine, feminine, and plural adjectives correctly
describe differences between objects using the comparative and
superlative
Bargaining
General Bargaining Information
In Morocco, bargaining is a part of life. It can sometimes be tiring for people not used to
it, but with some cultural and language skills, it can become much easier. Some
information about bargaining can also make the process simpler.
First of all, you need to know what items should be bargained for, and what items
normally have fixed prices, even for Moroccans. This is not always easy to determine,
since the place where you buy some things may determine whether the price is fixed or
not. For example, some items that are sold at fixed prices in a anut (e.g. laundry soap,
vegetables, eggs) may be bargained for in the souk or from a street vendor. Ask your
host family or watch other Moroccans in order to find out. Here are some general
guidelines for whether prices are fixed or not:
Usually Bargained For

any article of clothing
any household or kitchen utensil,
appliance,
or furniture
rent for a house or apartment
taxi fares on unscheduled runs
anything bought in a souk (e.g.
grains in bulk, animals, rugs, etc.)
anything bought from a street vendor
who
has no regular shop
petit taxi fares if the meter does not
work
anything used or second-hand
domestic help and services (maid,
plumber, electrician, etc. Determine the
price before
the work is done.)
Seldom Bargained For

things which are literally bought every
day: mint, parsley, bread, coriander
refill on a butagas
cigarettes and alcohol
meals or beverages in restaurants
bus fares between scheduled stops
taxi fares on regular runs
price-controlled staple foods: sugar,
oil, tea, flour, milk, butter, etc.
anything bought in a pharmacy
meat and vegetables, if the price per
kilo is posted
school supplies
It is also good to be aware of some of the standard tactics that are used between the
buyer and the seller in Morocco. If you watch Moroccans, you will see many of these.
The Buyers Tactics

not showing too much enthusiasm for
buying
walking away when the seller has
named the lowest price
pointing out defects in the
The Sellers Tactics

not showing too much enthusiasm for
selling
turning away when the buyer has
named the highest price
noting the superior quality in the
72 Moroccan Arabic
merchandise
quoting a lower price for an identical
item in another shop
claiming not to have enough money to
meet the seller's lowest price
complimenting or flattering the seller
(on his shop, merchandise, children,
friendliness)
merchandise
insisting that goods in other shops are
not of the same quality
claiming that in selling at the buyers
highest price he would be taking a loss
complimenting or flattering the buyer
(on his or her language ability,
friendliness, expertise in bargaining)
The Buyers Tactics

acting insulted by the sellers price
arguing that the difference between
the
sellers price and the price offered is
insignificant; i.e. the seller should come
down to the offered price
pulling out one's money as if the
offered price has been agreed upon
The Sellers Tactics

acting insulted by the buyers offer
arguing that the difference between
the buyers price and his price is
insignificant and the buyer should come
up
wrapping up the purchase as if the
asking price has been agreed upon
When you are looking to buy an item that you know you will have to bargain for, there are
a few things that you should probably try to avoid. These include:
showing too much interest in, or too great a need for, a particular item
carrying large sums of money, carrying expensive, previously-bought items, looking
like a tourist
having no idea what an item is really worth, or what is a fair price for that type of
item
being in a hurry
buying with a guide (he gets a percentage of what you pay)
Always be prepared to pay a price you have named. Do not get too far into bargaining for
something if you do not intend to buy it. If you are not clear on the currency in which you
are bargaining (i.e. ryals), proceed slowly. In the end, dont let a bargaining scenario ruin
your day. Most of us go unbothered by the sometimes huge markups on big-ticket items
in America, yet we can be easily frustrated by a Moroccan merchant who makes an extra
dollar or two off of us. Remember that ones peace of mind is worth something, too.
Bargaining Expressions
Its too expensive!
ali bzzaf!
Lower the price.
nqs wiya.
Give a good price.
sawb m aya f t-taman.
I wont add even a ryal.
ma-n-zid tta ryal.
Ill add nothing.
ma-n-zid walu.
Its too much for me.
bzzaf liya.
A good price.
i taman mzyan.
.

.
A reasonable price.
i taman mnasb.
Whats the last price?
axir taman, al?
How much will I get it for?
bal t-xllih (ha)?

)(
Thats what I have (money)!
had -i l-li ndi!
Thats my last price!
hada huwa axir taman dyali!
.
.
.

!

!

Clothing
Clothing Vocabulary
clothes
l-wayj
4
5
3
1
1
0
9
8
1
1
1
6
1
2
1
7
1
5
1
4
1
3
1
8
2
0
1
9
1. sifitma
2. jean
3. srwal
5. qamija
6. grafata
4. qamija ns kmm
7. jili
8. kustim
9. triko
10. triko col v
11. fista
12. jakita
13. pijama
14. kbbut
15. smta
16. T-shirt
17. ort
18. al
19. slip
20. saya
74 Moroccan Arabic
3
4
1
1
8
1
0
1
3
1
2
1
4
2
0
1
8
1
5
1
6
1
9
1
7
1. kswa
2. zif / fular
3. jllaba
4. gndura
5. liba
6. sutyanat
7. ligat
8. kaskita
11. sbrdila
12. butyu
13. sbbat
14. sndala
15. maya
16. xatm
17. alaqat
18. qiq
9. tagiya
19. snsla
10. tqar
20. mdl
Clothing Expressions
Is there anything else?
we kayna i aja xora?
Give me size ... please.
tini n-nmra ... afak.
Try this one on.
qiys hada / hadi.
Do you want another color?
we biti i lun axor?
I prefer this color.
kan-fdl had l-lun.
It goes well with you.
ja / jat m ak.
Colors
colors
l-lwan
Masculine Singular
... .
/
.

.

/ .
Feminine Singular
Plural
white
byd
bida
bidin
blue
zrq
zrqa
zrqin
black
kl
kla
klin

red
mr
mra
mrin
yellow
sfr
sfra
sfrin
green
xdr
xdra
xdrin
brown
qhwi
qhwiya
qhwiyin
orange
limuni
pink
wrdi
wrdiya
wrdiyin
jri
jriya
jriyin
mdadi
mdadiya
mdadiyin
grey
rmadi
rmadiya
rmadiyin
golden
dhbi
dark
purple
limuniya
limuniyin
dhbiyin
dhbiya
mluq
mluqa
mluqin
light
mftu
mftua
mftuin
bright
nas
nasa
nasin
faded
baht
bahta
bahtin
As you can see in the table above, feminine forms of colors are made by adding an a
sound to the masculine form, and plurals are made by adding in to the masculine form.
Dialogue
Michael: s-salamu alaykum.
mul l-wayj: wa alaykum s-salam.
Michael: bit jllaba afak!
mul l-wayj: mujud a sidi, amn nmra?
Michael: ma-n-rf.
mul l-wayj: qiys hadi. Ah jat m ak!
Michael: kayna ir f had l-lun?
mul l-wayj: kayna f l-byd, s-sfr u l-kl.
Michael: ara n-uf l-byd afak.
mul l-wayj: hak a sidi.
Michael: bal had -i?
mul l-wayj: hadi a sidi b 8000 ryal.
Michael: aliya bzzaf, adi n-tik ir
3000 ryal.
mul l-wayj: lla, nqsti bzzaf. xudha b
6000.
Michael: lla bzzaf. bslama.
mul l-wayj: aji, aji, tini ir 5000 ryal.
Michael: adi n-tik 3500 ryal. biti
mzyan ma-biti- lla y-shl.
mul l-wayj: ara a sidi 3500 ryal. i bas
ma-kayn.

. :
. :
! :

:
. :
.
!:

:
. :
. :
. :

:
8000
. :
:
3000.
. :
6000.
. . :
5000 :
.
. 3500 :
.
. 3500 :
.
76 Moroccan Arabic
Exercise:Read the text and answer the questions.

Saida ndha bzzaf d t-tsbin l-yum: s-srwal
r-rmadi u l-qamija l-bida dyal rajlha. jean u
T-shirt dyal wldha. l-kswa l-mra u j-jakita
z-zrqa dyal bntha. s-saya l-xdra u z-zif l-byd
dyal Saida. welakin, dyal mn t-tqar l-kl?
1. dyal mn s-srwal r-rmadi?
2. dyal mn T-shirt? nu l-lun dyalu?
3. we l-kswa l-mra dyal Saida?
4. we s-saya dyal Saida zrqa?
5. nu l-lun dyal t-tqar?
:
.

.
.

.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Exercise:Write a dialogue for the following pictures. Try to

write it without looking at the previous pages.
2
78 Moroccan Arabic
Adjectives
Adjectives come after the nouns they modify and must agree in gender and number. For
example, if a noun is feminine and singular then the adjective that follows must be
feminine and singular as well.
Feminine and plural forms of adjectives are derived from the masculine base form. The
feminine form is made by adding an a ( )to the end of the masculine form. The plural
form, like with nouns, is not always predictable. The two most common patterns are:
adding in ( )to the masculine form, or replacing the long vowel i ( )in the middle of an
adjective with the long vowel a (). An example of each plural form:
happy
big
Masculine
Singular
Plural
fran
franin
we add in to form the plural
kbir
kbar
we change i to a to form the

plural
Adjectives in this first group (forming the plural with in) also have a feminine plural form
that is used when all the members of a group are feminine. If their is a mixture of
masculine and feminine people or objects, the masculine plural (often just called plural)
is used. The feminine plural is formed by adding at to the masculine singular base form.
Common Adjectives
English
good
pretty / handsome / good
bad / ugly
happy
sad / angry
clean
dirty
harried
late
soft
harsh
fresh
present
absent
Masculine
Singular
mzyan
zwin
xayb
fran
mqllq
nqi
mussx
mzrub
m ttl

rtb
tri
ad r
ayb
Feminine
Singular
mzyana
zwina
xayba
frana
mqllqa
nqiya
mussxa
mzruba
m ttla

rtba
ra
triya
ad ra
ayba
Masculine
Plural
mzyanin
zwinin
xaybin
franin
mqllqin
nqiyin
mussxin
mzrubin
m ttlin

rtbin
rin
triyin
ad rin
aybin
Feminine
Plural
mzyanat
zwinat
xaybat
franat
mqllqat
nqiyat
mussxat
mzrubat
m ttlat

rtbat
rat
triyat
ad rat
aybat
English
sweet
salty
bland / tasteless
spicy
open
closed
fried / grilled
hungry
thirsty
busy
lazy
tired
reasonable /
serious
enough
expensive
wide / large
married
old (something)
big (something)
old (someone)
small
(something)
young
(someone)
new
far
near
tall / long
Masculine
Singular
lu
mal
mssus

arr
mlul
msdud
mqli
ji an
tan
mul
m gaz
iyan
Feminine
Singular
luwa

mala
mssusa

arra
mlula
msduda
mqliya
ji ana
tana
mula
m gaza
iyana
Masculine
Plural
luwin

malin
mssusin

arrin
mlulin
msdudin
mqliyin
ji anin
tanin
mulin
m gazin
iyanin
Feminine
Plural
luwat

malat
mssusat

arrat
mlulat
msdudat
mqliyat
ji anat
tanat
mulat
m gazat
iyanat
m qul
m qula
m qulin
m qulat
kafi
ali
was
mzuwj
qdim
kbir
kafiya
aliya
was a
mzuwja
qdima
kbira
kafiyin
aliyin
was in
mzuwjin
kafiyat
aliyat
was at
mzuwjat
sir
sira
jdid
b id
qrib
twil
jdida
b ida
qriba
twila
jdad
b ad
qrab
twal
qdam
kbar
sar
80 Moroccan Arabic
Masculine
Singular
qsir
si
dif
bsit
rxis
mskin
mrid
English
short
strong / correct
weak
simple / easy
cheap
poor
sick
Feminine
Singular
qsira
sia
difa
bsita
rxisa
mskina
mrida
Masculine
Plural
Feminine
Plural
qsar
sa
daf
bsat
rxas
msakn
mrad
Exercise:Describe the following pictures using adjectives.

1. hada kmm qsir.
6
3
4
11
2. hada kmm _______.
12
7
10
8
Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Comparative Adjectives
We use comparative adjectives when we are comparing two objects based upon some
quality or characteristic. For example, in English we can say: I am taller than John.
Taller than is the comparative form of the adjective tall. Here are the comparative
forms for some Arabic adjectives:
Adjectives
good
mzyan
nice
tall / long
Comparatives
better
sn (mn)
) )
drif
nicer
drf (mn)
) )
twil
taller / longer twl (mn)
) )

short
qsir
shorter
qsr (mn)
) )
big / old
kbir
bigger / older kbr (mn)
) )
small / young sir
smaller /
younger
sr (mn)
) )
heavier
tql (mn)
) )
lighter
xff (mn)
)
)
) )
heavy
tqil
light
xfif
old (thing)
qdim
older (thing)
qdm (mn)
few
qlil
fewer
qll (mn)
cheap
rxis
cheaper
rxs (mn)
) )
expensive
ali
more
expensive
la (mn)
sweet
lu
sweeter
la (mn)
)
)
As you can see above, for many adjectives (but not all) the comparative is formed by
removing the long vowel i from the word. Here are some examples:
Sadia is younger than
Malika.
Sadia sr mn Malika.
The train is better than the

bus.
t-tran sn mn l-kar.
Comparing Like Objects

In order to express that two things/people/etc. are the same, we can use either of two
expressions:
the same / alike
bal bal
the same / alike
kif kif
Some examples:
Which is better: a blue shirt
or a green one?
ama sn: qamijja zrqa wlla

xdra?
They are the same.
bal bal.
As the example shows, the word ama ( )is used for comparisons when we mean
which.
Superlative Adjectives
The superlative adjective in Moroccan Arabic can be formed in two ways.
First, by using the definite article with the adjective and inserting the personal
pronoun:
Omar is bright.
Omar mujtahid.
Omar is the brightest

student in the class.
Omar huwa l-mujtahid f

l-qism.
Susan is a pretty girl.
Susan bnt zwina.
Susan is the prettiest.
Susan hiya z-zwina.

.
.

.
Second, by prefixing a ( )to the comparative adjective:

Casablanca is the largest
d-dar l-bida akbr mdina f
82 Moroccan Arabic
city in Morocco.
l-mrib.
Toubkal is the highest

mountain in Morocco.
tubqal a la jbl f l-mrib.
Exercise:Compare each pair using comparative adjectives.

t-tomobil

dyal Mary
t-tomobil

dyal Mike
Driss
Hassan
d-dar
dyal Mohamed
klat
d-dar
dyal Judy
lxubz
Exercise:Answer the following questions based upon the

drawing.
d-dlla
l-banan
1. ama la l-nb wlla l-banan?

2. ama rxs d-dlla wlla l-nb?
3. ama sn d-dlla wlla l-banan?
4. ama la l-nb wlla d-dlla?
5. we l-nb huwa ala fakiha?
6. nu hiya l-fakiha r-rxisa?
l-nb
1.

2.

3.

4.
5.

6.

Moroccan Wisdom:

l-li ddu
l-n, kay-xaf mn l-bl.
The one bitten by a snake is afraid of ropes.
English equivalent: Once bitten, twice shy.
84 Moroccan Arabic
Shopping For Food

shop for produce, meats, and spices
Fruits and Vegetables

At the Green Grocers
nd l-xddar
1
0
8
9
1
2
1
1
1
8
2
0
1
9
1
6
1
7
zucchi
ni
1
5
vegetables
1. xizu
2. -iflur
l-xodra
11. l-ful
3. lquq
4. l-btata
1
4
1
3
12. l-fjl
13. l-gr a
14. t-tuma
5. l-flfla
15. l-bsla
6. d-dnjal
16. l-barba
17. l-lft
7. lxyar
8. matia
9. j-jlbana
10. l-krafs
18. l-mkuwr
19. l-lubya
20. l-korjit
parsley
l-m dnus
quince
s-sfrjl
gourd
s-slawi
mint
n-n na
okra
l-mluxiya
absinth
-iba

coriander
l-qsbur
verbena
l-lwiza
plum
1
3
1
2
1
1
1
0
1
4
1
5
fruit
l-fakiha
9. n-ngas
1. l-nb
2. l-limun
bo wid
nectari
ne
3. t-tfa
10. t-tut
4. l-friz
11. lavoka
5. l-brquq
6. l-banan
13. d-dlla
7. l-xux
14. blmluk
15. -hdiya
8. l-amd
pomegranate r-rmman
apricots
l-mma
12. lananas
Japanese
plums
l-mza
kiwi
l-kiwi
Buying Produce
Units of Measurement
scale
l-mizan
gram
gram
kilogram
kilu
kilogram
rubu kilu
kilogram
ns kilu
kilu lla rob
kilogram
86 Moroccan Arabic
2 kilograms
juj kilu
Expressions
Give me a kilo of ...
tini kilu d ...
...
Weigh me ...
br / wzn liya ...
/ ...
Give me some ...
tini wiya d ...
More ... please
zidni ... afak
How much is a kilo of ... ?
bal kilu d ... ?
What do you need?
nu xssk?
What else?
nu axor?
I need ...
xssni ...
No, thats enough. Only 1

kilo, thats all!
lla baraka. ir kilu, safi!
...
...
...
...
.!
Dialogue
shopping
Susan: sba l-xir.
t-tqdya
sba l-xir. a b l-xatr a

lalla?
Susan: bit juj kilu d xizu, u kilu d
matia u ns kilu d l-barba u
xtar liya i aja mzyana.
br liya kilu u rubu d
l-bsla.
l-xddar: safi a lalla?
l-xddar:
Susan: bal t-tfa?

l-xddar: stta
l drhm l l-kilu.
Susan: waxxa, br liya kilu
lla rob. aah! nsit tini wiya
d l-qsbur
u l-m dnus.
l-xddar: hani a lalla.
Susan: bal kuli?
l-xddar: ndk a lalla ts miya u sttin
ryal.
Susan: al mn drhm?
l-xddar: 48 drhm.
Susan: hak a sidi, lla y-awn.
l-xddar: lla y-xlf a lalla.
1. fin Susan?
2. nu rat Susan?
3. al rat mn kul aja?
4. we rat i aja xora?
5. al xllsat?
. :
.
:

.
.

:
:
.

:
! .
:

.
.
:
:
.
:
:
48 .
:
. :
.
:
1.
2.

3.
4.

5.
88 Moroccan Arabic
Spices and Meat

Spices
spices
l-triya
saffron
z-z fran
salt
l-mla
turmeric
l-xrqum
black pepper
l-bzar
hot pepper
l-flfla
ginger
skinjbir
l-ara
cumin
l-kamun
red hot
pepper
s-sudaniya
cinnamon
l-qrfa
cloves
l-qrnfl
oregano
z-z tr
basil
l-bq
nutmeg
l-guza
paprika
t-tmira
At the Butchers
butcher
l-gzzar
meat
l-lm
lamb
l-nmi
beef
l-bgri
goat meat
l-m zi
liver
l-kbda
ground meat
l-kfta
meat w/o
bones
l-hbra
chicken
d-djaj
Exercise: You have guests for dinner and you want to serve
them tea with cakes, then a tajine. List the items you
need for preparing tea/cakes and a tajine and write
your shopping list. Then, write a shopping list for an
American dish.
Food and Drink

use the correct words and expressions concerning food and drink
express likes and dislikes using jb to please
express necessity or obligation with xss to need / to have to
use ba to want / to like with the proper tense
Food and Drink

Food
food
l-makla
fish
l-ut
breakfast
l-ftur
beans
l-lubya
lunch
l-da
lentils
l-ds
dinner
l-a
chick peas
l-mms
tajine
t-tajin
steamed pasta
with cinnamon and
sugar
s-sffa
salad
-lada
vermicelli
- riya
French fries
l-frit
Moroccan
soup
l-rira
olives
z-zitun
vegetable
soup
s-suba
bastila
l-bstila
rice
r-ruz
meat
l-lm
couscous
l-ksksu
chicken
d-djaj
pizza
l-ppitza
At a Caf
the waiter
l-garsun
black coffee
qhwa kla
coffee with milk
qhwa lib
half coffee, half milk
qhwa ns ns
hot milk
lib sxun
weak coffee
qhwa xfifa
strong coffee
qhwa qasa
coffee with a little milk
qhwa mhrsa
orange juice
asir l-limun
apple & milk shake
asir t-tfa
banana & milk shake
asir l-banan
almond & milk shake
asir l-luz
pot of tea
brrad d atay
glass of tea
kas d atay
... with mint
... b n-n na
...
90 Moroccan Arabic
Not very sweet.
ma-y-kun- lu bzzaf.
Some sugar, please.
wiya d s-skkar, afak.
a glass of cold water
kas d l-ma bard.
.
.
At a Restaurant
the menu
l-menu
Please bring me ...
afak jib liya ...
Do you have ... ?
we ndkum ... ?
What do you have?
nu ndkum?
Is there any food without

meat?
we kayna i makla bla lm?

...

...

I want a tajine without meat. bit tajin bla lm.
What do you have for

dessert?
nu ndkum f d-disir?
We want a table for (four

people).
bina wad t-tbla dyal (rb a

d n-nas).
outside
la brra
inside
ldaxl
The bill, please.
l-sab afak.
To your health.
b s-sa.
To your health (response).
lla y-tik s-sa.
How do you like the food?
kif jatk l-makla?
I have no complaints.
ma ndi mangul.
The food is delicious.
l-makla ldida / bnina.

)
).

.
/ .
Dialogue
Karla u Jason f r-ristora
l-garsun: t-fddl u! mrbabikum.
Jason: ukran. we kayna i tbla dyal juj
d n-nas?
l-garsun: m lum kayna. fin bitu t-glsu?
Jason: bina wad t-tbla da s-srjm.
l-garsun: nu bitu t-aklu?
Karla: nu ndkum?
l-garsun: ha l-menu.
Karla: ana bit lada u ksksu b l-nmi.
l-garsun: waxxa a lalla. u nta a sidi?
Jason: ana kan-akul ir l-xdra. we
kayna i makla bla lm?
l-garsun: iyeh! kayna l-lubya.
Jason: waxxa. jib liya lada u tbsil d
l-lubya.
l-garsun: we bitu t-rbu i aja?
Karla: ana bit kuka barda.
Jason: ana bit ir l-ma afak.
!
. :
:
.

. :
. :
:
:
. :
. :

:
.

:
.

! . :
.
:
.
:
. :
. :

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
l-sab afak.
.
60 drhm.
60 .
hak a sidi.
.
.
lla y-xlf. kif jatkum l-makla?

Jason:
l-garsun:
Jason:
l-garsun:
Karla/Jaso
bnina! jbatna bzzaf.
n:
l-garsun: b s-sa u r-raa.
Karla/Jaso
lla y-tik s-sa.
n:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
:
:
:
:

! .
:

. :

. :
fin mau Karla u Jason?

nu klau?
we rbu i aja? nu rbu?
al xlsu?
kif jathum l-makla?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Reflexive verb to please / to like

In Darija, it is not common to say, literally, I like something. Rather, we use the
construction, Something pleases me. In reality, this phrase would translate into the
English I like something, but what is important is that you understand that the person
who likes is actually the object of the sentence, and the thing liked is the subject. At
first, it will seem backward; in fact, it is (from an English speakers perspective). In time
you will use this construction naturally.
How to Conjugate to please

The verb to please is jb. It can be tricky to conjugate because, as we said, the subject
of the verb is actually the object that is liked, and the object is the person who likes.
Thus, if I want to say, He likes them, I literally need to say, They please him. Also, as
a result of this, the verb must always agree in gender and number with the
subject, that is, the thing liked. In the present tense, therefore, the conjugation of
the verb can be outlined in the following manner:
Introduce Present
Tense
Verb
Root
For Plural
Form Only
jb
kay
(masc. sing.)
kat
(fem. sing.)
kay
(masc/fem plur.)
Object
Pronouns
ni
k
u/h
ha
na
kum
hum
Some examples:
It (masc. sing.) pleases me.
(i.e. I like it.)
kay-jbni
It (fem. sing.) pleases me.

(i.e. I like it.)
kat-jbni
They (masc. plur.) please

me.
(i.e. I like them.)
kay-jbuni
They (fem. plur.) please me. kay-jbuni
92 Moroccan Arabic
(i.e. I like them.)
Present Tense Examples

In the following examples, we use the translation to like. The literal translation would
be to please.
jb with masculine singular subject
I like couscous.
kay-jbni ksksu.
I like chocolate.
kay-jbni -klat.
She likes tea.
kay-jbha atay.
We like Morocco.
kay-jbna l-mrib.
He likes tajines.
kay-jbu t-tajin.
.

.

.

.
jb with feminine singular subject

I like salad.
kat-jbni -lada.
Do you like coffee?
we kat-jbk l-qhwa?
She does not like beer.
ma-kat-jbha- l-birra.
.

.

jb with masculine/feminine plural subject

I like the people of Morocco.
kay-jbuni n-nas d l-mrib.
He likes books.
kay-jbuh l-ktub.
Do you (plur.) like kids?
we kay-jbukum d-drari?
We dont like them.
ma-kay-jbuna-.

.

.
Past Tense Examples

The verb jb can also be used in the past tense, as in I liked it or It pleased me. It is
conjugated like all regular verbs in the past tense.
jb with masculine singular subject
I liked dinner.
jbni l-a.
He liked mint tea.
jbu atay b n-n na .
She didnt like fat bread.
ma-jbha- xubz -ma.
Did you like the chicken?
we jbk d-djaj?
.
.

.

jb with feminine singular subject

I liked the soup.
jbatni l-rira.
He didnt like the salad.
ma-jbatu- -lada.
Did you like the old medina? we jbatk l-mdina l-qdima?
.
.

jb with masculine/feminine plural subject
Did you like these books?
jbuni n-nas dyal d-duwar

dyali.
we jbuk had l-ktub?
She didnt like the colors.
ma-jbuha- l-luwan.
I liked the people of my

village.
.

.
Followed by Another Verb

jb can be followed by another verb. The second verb is always conjugated in the
present, according to the same rule that you already learned regarding verbs following
other verbs (see page 68). Remember that for the second verb, therefore, we remove the
) to place it after jb.
ka (
I like to sleep after lunch.
kay-jbni n-n s mura l-da.
He likes to play soccer.
kay-jbu y-l b l-kura.
.

.
She doesnt like to wake up

early.
ma-kay-jbha- t-fiq bkri.
we kay-jbk t-jri s-sba

bkri?
nu kay-jbk t-dir f
l-weekend?
Do you like to run early in

the morning?
What do you like to do on
the weekend?
Exercise:Make correct sentences using jb.

kat-jbk
we
kat-jbu
l-xdma
kat-jbha
kat-jbni
iyeh
kat-jbu
kat-jbha
dyalk?
dyalu?
dyalha?
bzzaf.
wiya.
.
.
94 Moroccan Arabic
Exercise:Make as many sentences (affirmative and negative)

as you can with jb using these pictures.
Suzy
Ahmed
Ronny
&
Nancy
Aicha
Moroccan Wisdom:
.
ma-ri- l-ut f ql l-br.
Dont buy fish on the bottom of the sea.
English equivalent: Dont count your chickens before they hatch.
The Verb to need, to have to, must,

should
The verb xss (
)translates into all of the following in English: to need or to have to
or must or should. It is conjugated by adding the object pronouns (see page 53) to
the end of the verb. You do not normally conjugate it like a present tense verb; that is,
you do not add kay or kat before the verb. Like other verbs, however, xss may be
followed by a second verb which is conjugated in the present tense, but without the prefix
ka (see page 68). Some examples:
You should be on time.
xssni n-t llm l-rbiya

mzyan.
xssk t-ji f l-wqt.
You shouldnt stay up late.
ma-xssk- t-shr.
I have to go.
xssni n-mi.
I have to learn Arabic well.

.

.

.

.
The meaning in the above examples depends largely on the context. However, when xss
is followed by a noun, it only means to need. Some examples:
I need cigarettes.
xssni l-garru.
She needs a notebook.
xssha dftar.

.

.
The past tense of xss is formed by adding the verb kan before it. You do not conjugate
kan if xss is followed by another verb. If xss is followed by a noun, however, kan must
agree in gender and number with that noun. Examples:
I had to study yesterday.
kan xssni n-qra l-bar.
I needed a book.
kan xssni ktab.
I needed a ticket.
kant xssni wrqa.
I needed books.
kanu xssni ktub.

.

.

.

.
Exercise:Write the expressions that go along with these signs

using the verb xss.
Exercise:Answer the following question in Moroccan Arabic.

nu xssk ba t-kun mutatawwi naj?
96 Moroccan Arabic
The Verb to want, to like

The verb ba translates into the English to want and to like. When conjugated in the
past tense, the verb expresses to want, but with a present tense meaning (see page
35). When conjugated in the present tense, the verb expresses to like, also with a
present tense meaning. An example:
.

kan-bi atay b n-n na .
I like mint tea.
When the verb is used with object pronouns (see page 53) in the present tense, it means
to love or to like someone. Examples:
I love you / I like you.
kan-bik.
I love him / I like him.
kan-bih.
I love her / I like her.
kan-biha.
When this verb is followed by another verb, the second verb is always conjugated in the
present tense without the prefix ka (see page 68). Some examples:
I like to drink coffee in the
morning.
kan-bi n-rb l-qhwa f

s-sba.
He likes to read at night.
kay-bi y-qra b l-lil.
.

.

Because the past tense of ba expresses a present tense meaning of to want, to

express a past tense meaning of to want, you must first use a past tense conjugated
form of the verb kan, followed by the past tense form of ba. Examples:
I wanted to leave early.
knt bit n-xrj bkri.
She wanted to tell him

something.
kant bat t-gul lih i aja.
Exercise:For each meal, write at least three sentences in

which you express Moroccan food you like or dislike for
breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
l-ftur
1. kan-bi l-bid f
l-ftur
2.
3.
l-da
1.
2.
3.
l-a
1.
2.
3.
Medical & Body

describe, in Darija, body parts and common illnesses
Body Parts
1
8
1
9
2
4
2
3
4
5
2
0
2
2
2
1
2
8
7
8
1
0
2
9
1
2
1
1
I have a headache.
1. wjh
2. fmm
nu ndk?
3. lya
malek? 4. nq
5.? ktf
ba mrid
6. sdr
nu kay-d
k?
7. rdra
fiya s-sxana.
8. mrfq
9. /ydd
fiya rwa
drbni l-brd.
1
10. sb
fiya
6 l-laqm.
11. dfr
ndi l-qbt
12./ kri
kr qasa.
ndi l-asasiya d . . .
13. fxd
. . . kay-dir/kat-dir liya
14. rkba
l-asasiya.
gdm
kay-drni15.
rasi.
My ear aches.
1 rni wdni.
kat-d
kan-s b d-duxa.
Health Problems
Whats wrong with you?
Whats the matter?
What ails you?
What aches?
1
3
I have a fever
I have a cold.
I have a sore throat.
Im constipated.
Im allergic to...
1
feel5dizzy.
1
4
2
6
2
5
2
7
16. rjl
17. sb
18. r
19. jbha
20. wdn

21. nk
22. nif
23. in

.
24. jban
.
25. snan

.
26. lsan
/
.
27.
nayf
a
28. must
. . .
/
.
. . .

29. lya
breast bzzula
.

.

.

Im injured.
tjrt.
Im burnt.
trqt.
98 Moroccan Arabic
I have a toothache.
kat-drni wad d-drsa.
My ... hurts.
kay-drni ...
I vomit / throw up.
kan-tqiya.
I need to see a doctor.
xssni n-uf t-tbib.
.

...
Dialogue
Latifa: malek, yak labas?
Amy: kay-drni kri.
Latifa: we fik luj bzzaf?
Amy: ay, bzzaf!
Latifa: sbri wya, adi n-tbx lik
wad l-kas d z-z tr, dqqa
btla!
Amy: lla lla afak, ma-ymkn- liya
n-rb l-ub.
Latifa: waxxa, kifa ymkn liya nawnk?
Amy: ttasli afak b had r-raqm d
hay'at s-salam ba y-iytu
liya.
Latifa: hiya l-luwla, ma-y-kun bas.
Amy: ahla y-wrrik i bas.
1. ba mrida Amy?
2. we tatha Latifa i dwa?
:
.

:
:

!
:
:
!

:
.

. :
.
:
1.
2.
3. la ma-bat- Amy t-rb l-ub?
3.
4. we mat Amy nd t-tbib? la?
4.
Exercise:What might you say if you were the person in each

picture?
100 Moroccan Arabic
Site Visit Expressions

Here are some useful expressions you may need during your site visit.
smiti ... ana mutatawwi m
a hay'at s-salam.

...

I will be working here for two

adi n-xdm hna amayn f ...
years at ...

...
My name is ... I am a
volunteer with Peace Corps.
Im going to spend two days

with you (to host family).
adi n-gls m akum yumayn.
Where is the youth center?
fin kayna dar -bab?
Where is the hospital /

delegation?
fin kayn s-sbitar /

l-mndubiya?
What is the name of the

chief doctor?
nu smit l-midsan ef afak?
Where is the agriculture

office?
fin kayn mktb l-filaa afak?
Where is the water and

forest office?
fin kayn mktb l-miyah u

l-abat?
Where is the handicraft

center?
fin kayna lartizana / s-sina

a t-tqlidiya afak?
Where is the post office?
fin kayna l-bosta?
Please, I want to open a post lla y-xllik, bit n-ft bwat

box.
ppostal.
What do I have to do?
nu xssni n-dir?
How much do I have to pay

(a year)?
al xssni n-xls
(l l-am)?
) (

Where is the bank, please?
fin kayna l-banka afak? (lbnk - bi)
I want to open a bank

account.
bit n-ft kont bonkir.
Where is the Gendarme /

police station, please?
fin j-jondarm / l-kumisariya,

afak?
Can you please give me

your phone number, please? we ymkn lik t-tini rqm
(at Gendarme / police
t-tilifun dyalkum, afak?
station)
)

)
.
I want to get a cart de

sejour.
bit n-sawb la-kart d sijur.
Is there a pharmacy here?
we kayn i frmasyan hna?
Is there a teleboutique here? we kayn i tilibutik hna?

Do you sell cell phone
cards?
Which service is available
here: Meditel or Maroc
we kat-bi la-kart d
l-pportabl?
we kayna Meditel wlla
Maroc Telecom?

Telecom?
Is there cell phone reception
we kayn r-rizo?
/ coverage?
Is there CTM (the bus

company)?
we kayn s-satyam?
What day/time is
transportation available?
amn nhar/wqt kay-kun

l-mrkub?
Is there a cyber caf here?
we kayna l-anternet hna?
How far is it from here?
al b ida mn hna?
Which day is the souk?
amn nhar kay-kun s-suq?
Is there any association

here?
we kayna i jm iya hna?
Ask your LCF for any other words or expressions you think you may need for site visit.
Moroccan Wisdom:
nqta
b nqta
kay-ml l-wad.
Drop by drop the river rises.
English equivalent: Rome wasnt built in a day.
102 Moroccan Arabic
Travel
describe future activities
identify means of transportation and use appropriate expressions
for travel
Future Tense
Depending upon where you are in Morocco, people may form the future tense differently.
Everyone in Morocco, however, should understand you regardless of which way you form
the future tense.
Forming the Future Tense

To form the future tense, take the present tense form, drop the prefix ka, and add adi.
Thus:
to travel
safr
I will travel
adi n-safr
you will travel (masc.

sing.)
adi t-safr
you will travel (fem.

sing.)
adi t-safri
he will travel
adi y-safr
she will travel
adi t-safr
we will travel
adi n-safru
you will travel (plur.)
adi t-safru
they will travel
adi y-safru
In some places, adi is also used with a feminine form, adya, and a plural form,
adyin. In this case, the future tense would be as follows:
to travel
safr
I will travel (masc.)
adi n-safr
I will travel (fem.)
adya n-safr

sing.)
adi t-safr

sing.)
adya t-safri
he will travel
adi y-safr
she will travel
adya t-safr
we will travel
adyin n-safru
adyin t-safru
they will travel
adyin y-safru
Sometimes, adi is contracted to a. The future tense in this case:

to travel
safr
I will travel
an-safr

sing.)
at-safr

sing.)
at-safri
he will travel
ay-safr
she will travel
at-safr
we will travel
an-safru
at-safru
they will travel
ay-safru
Negation of the Future Tense

To form the negative of the future tense, add ma... ( ... )to adi, adya, or adyin.
Will you travel?
we adi t-safr?

.
No, I will not travel.
lla, ma-adi- n-safr.

To express will never, we do not use the future tense, but rather ma mmr (
) and
the present tense of a verb without the prefix ka.
I will never smoke.
ma mmri n-kmi.
We will never travel at night. ma mmrna n-safru b l-lil.

.

.
To express not yet when speaking about the future, use mazal ma ( ) or baqi ma
( ) with the future tense.
We will not go to bed yet.
mazal ma adyin n-n su.
I will not get married yet.
baqi ma adi n-tzuwj.
.
.
For the remainder of the book, all of the different forms of the future tense will
be used in order for you to become familiar with all of them.
Using the Participle adi to Mean Going

In English, we have two ways of expressing the future.
I will speak to him tomorrow.
I am going to speak to him tomorrow.
Both of these ways of expressing the future are expressed by the future tense in
Moroccan Arabic. In the following examples, therefore, both English translations can be
given for the Arabic expressions.
What will I wear?
What am I going to wear?
nu adi n-lbs?
I will sleep.
I am going to sleep.
adi n-n s.
When the word adi is preceded by the conjugated past tense of the verb kan, to be, it
indicates a past intention or a past future. Some examples:
He was going to travel to
America, but he didnt have
a visa. (i.e. he had
intended...)
kan adi y-safr l mirikan

welakin
ma-kan- ndu l-viza.
104 Moroccan Arabic

She was going to marry
last year. (i.e. she had
planned...)
kant adya t-tzuwj l-am

l-li fat.
The use of adi to indicate future or past future should be distinguished from its use as a
participle to indicating that someone is literally going somewhere at the present
moment (or was going at a past moment). In other words, besides its role as an
auxiliary verb to indicate future, adi also acts as the active participle of the verb ma,
to go. Thus, ma is used only to express a habitual action when it is conjugated in
the present tense. To express a current action, the participle adi is used.
I go to souk on Tuesdays.
(habitual)
kan-mi l s-suq nhar t-tlat.
I am going to souk. (now)
ana adi l s-suq.
Where do you go every

weekend? (habitual)
fin kat-mi kul weekend?
Where are you going? (now) fin adi?
.

.

This idea of a current, progressive action may also be expressed in the past, and should
be distinguished, again, from the idea of past intention or past future that was discussed
above.
He was going to travel to
America, but he didnt have
a visa. (past intention)
kan adi y-safr l mirikan

welakin
ma-kan- ndu l-viza.
He was going to souk when

he saw his friend. (past
progressive action)
kan adi l s-suq mlli af

sabu.
I was not going to lie to you!

ma-knt- adi n-kdb lik!
(negative past intention)
I was not going to souk!
(negative past
progressive action)
ma-knt- adi l s-suq!

.

.
!
!
Time Expressions
tomorrow
dda
day after tomorrow
b d dda
tomorrow morning
dda f s-sba
tomorrow afternoon/evening dda f l-iya
next Saturday
s-sbt j-jay / l-maji
next week
s-simana j-jaya / l-majya
next month
-hr j-jay / l-maji
next year
l-am j-jay / l-maji
next summer
s-sif j-jay / l-maji
in a week / month / year
mn hna simana / hr / am
one day / some day
wad nhar / i nhar
after lunch / dinner
mn b d l-da / l-a
/
/ /
Some examples of the future tense using time expressions:

Are you going to go to the
cinema in the evening?
we adi t-mi l
s-sinima f l-iya?
No, Im not going to go. Im

going to sleep a little bit.
lla, ma-adi- n-mi. adi n-n

s wiya.
.
.
After dinner, Ill read my

book.
mn b d l-a, adi n-qra

l-ktab dyali.
i nhar, adya n-tkllm l-rbiya
mzyan.

.

.
Someday, I (fem.) will speak

Arabic well.
Exercise:Put the verbs in parentheses in the future tense.

Zahra: fuqa (nad) dda?
Chad: (faq) f 7:00.
Zahra: nu (dar) mn b d?
Chad: (ftr) u (xrj).
Zahra: fin (ma) mn b d?
Chad: (ma) l l-xdma dyali f 12:00.
(tdda) m a sabi Tom f mt
m s-salam. mn b d (rj )l
d-dar. f 3:00 wiya l-rbiya
m a l-ustad dyali.
Zahra: we (ja) (t a) m ana
dda inallah?
Chad: waxxa! n-ufkum dda
inallah.
)( :
(7:00 ( . :
)( :
()( ). :
)( :
( ( :
(
).12:00
( ).

3:00 .
.

)( )

(
:
!

. :

Dialogue
Mohamed: fuqa adya t-mi l l-fla?
Karla: ltnin f t-tmnya u ns.

Mohamed: amn wqt adya t-tlaqay
. :
106 Moroccan Arabic

l-ustad dyalk?
Karla: t-tlat f j-juj u tulut.
Mohamed: fuqa adia t-ufi l-film?
Karla: larb f t-ts ud u rb .
Mohamed: fuqa adya t-l bi t-tinis?
Karla: l-xmis f r-rb a lla rub.
Mohamed: imta adya t-ufi t-tbib?
Karla: j-jm a f l-d a nian.
Mohamed: imta adya t-tqday?
Karla: s-sbt f l-xmsa ql xmsa.
Mohamed: amn wqt adi y-xrj t-tran
fa adya t-rkbi?
Karla: l-dd f l-ra ql qsmayn.
. :
:
. :
:
. :
:
. :
:
. :
:

. :
Exercise:Read the dialogue again quickly and write down

Karlas plan for the week (write down the times using
numbers, not words). Then, write your own schedule
for the upcoming week. What will you be doing each
day? At what time?
Travel
General Travel Information
Public transport in Morocco is both inexpensive and easy to use. Between major cities,
trains are the quickest and most comfortable means of travel, although they can be
crowded at certain times of year. Buses are the cheapest choice and can vary in terms of
speed and comfort.
Traveling Between Cities
CTM: This is the national bus line, very comfortable, on schedule, seats are reserved and
can be purchased in advance in most places. Unaccompanied baggage can be sent via
CTM.
Souk buses: In each large town there is a bus station, such as Quamra in Rabat. One
can buy a ticket one day in advance and fares are set. Sometimes the ticket is for a
reserved seat, other times it is for whatever seat is open when the bus goes through
town. A ticket does not necessarily mean there is a real seat either. Sometimes there are
additional places set-up in the aisle. You have to bargain for the price you pay for your
luggage if this gets stored on top of the bus. The price depends upon the size of the
piece. It is advisable to carry smaller pieces of luggage you can store in the bus itself.
Souk buses do not always leave or arrive on time. They may stop in the middle of
nowhere. They may also stop in towns along the way looking for additional passengers.
Train: There are two classes: first and second. The price of any train car with air
conditioning will be higher. Sometimes there are schedule changes, but no available
printed timetables. Check to be sure that the time you wish to travel is still accurate.
Train tickets can be bought in advance, and this is the only form of local transportation on
which you can buy a round-trip ticket.
Grand taxis: This is for travel between large towns and cities. They carry 6 passengers
and since the fare is per seat, if you want you can pay for empty seats so that the taxi
leaves earlier. Ask the other passengers in the car what the regular fare should be, do not

ask the driver first. If you want to take the entire taxi for yourself, ask for a taxi coursa.
Baggage does not cost extra in a taxi.
Pick-up truck (camio): In some areas where no public transportation is available, people
use their personal trucks to carry supplies to their douars, they also take passengers at a
rate that they determine themselves.
Airport transportation: There are airport buses and trains which run from Rabat Ville to
the Casablanca airport. There are also airport buses which connect the airport to
Casablanca but from Rabat/Sale airport there are only taxis.
Travel Within Cities
Petit taxis: Every city has petit taxis which can carry up to three passengers. The fare is
calculated by meter. When you get in the taxi, ask that the meter be turned on. If there
is no meter, or if it does not work, ask the price before you begin. Since the taxi can take
3 passengers, if you are the only one getting in, he can pick up other passengers. If you
are the second or third person entering the taxi, ask the price for your trip. At night
(usually by 8 pm) until sunrise, the fare is 50% more than the daytime fare.
Chariots: In very small villages, the chariots are used to get people to the weekly souk or
to towns on the main road, where larger transportation is available for farther distances.
Travel Expressions
taxi
t-taxi
Where is the taxi stand?
fin blasa t-taxiyat?
Please take me to...
wsslni afak l...
I want to go to this address.
bit n-mi l had l-unwan.
Please wait a minute for me. tsnnani afak wiya.

...

.

.
How much, please?
al afak?
Turn on the meter, please.
xddm l-kuntur afak.
Stop here, please.
wqf hna afak.
small taxi (petit taxi, inside

city)
taxi sir
large taxi (grand taxi, b/w

cities)
taxi kbir
Is there a seat to ...
we kayna i blasa l...
Yes, there is.
iyeh, kayna.
How many seats are

reserved so far?
al mn blasa kayna deba?
Four and you are the fifth.
rb a u nti l-xamsa.
I want to pay for 2 seats.
bit n-xlls juj blays.
taxi driver
mul taxi
taxi driver
-ifur d taxi
baggage
l-bagaj
trunk
l-kufr
city bus
t-tobis
city bus depot / stop
matta
t t-tobisat
Where does bus #... stop?
fin kay-wqf t-tobis rqm...?

we kay-wqf t-tobis rqm...
Does bus #... stop here?
...
.

.
.

...

...
108 Moroccan Arabic
Which bus do I need to take

if I want to go to ... ?
hna?
we had t-tobis kay-duz
la...?
amn tobis xssni n-axud ila
bit n-mi l...?
Can you stop here?
we ymkn lik t-wqf hna?
last stop / terminus
t-tirminus
driver
-ifur
ticket taker
r-rusuvur
bus (between cities)
l-kar
bus station
matta
t l-kiran
Which bus is going to ... ?
amn kar adi l...?
When does the bus leave

to ... ?
fuqa kay-xrj l-kar l...?

...
When does the bus arrive

to ...?
fuqa kay-wsl l-kar l...?

...
I want a ticket to ...
bit wad l-wrqa l...?
How much is the ticket

to ... ?
bal l-wrqa l...?
I want to keep my bag with

me.
bit n-dir s-sak dyali daya.
Does this bus go by ... ?
-ifur
drivers assistant
l-grisun

...

...
...
...
Tell me when we arrive to ... afak ila wslna l... gulha liya.
driver

...

.
...
.
How long will you stop here? al adi t-bqa hna?
Is this seat empty?
we had l-blasa xawya?
train
t-tran / l-qitar
train station
lagar / matta
t l-qitar
Is there a train to ...
we kayn i tran l...?
...
Where do they sell the

tickets, please?
fin kay-qtu l-wraq afak?
Can I reserve a sleeper car

to Oujda?
we ymkn liya n-rizirvi kuit l

wjda?
I want to keep the ticket.
bit n-tafd b l-wrqa.
Dialogue
nu adya t-diri?
Doha: nu adya t-diri s-simana
j-jaya?
Jill: adya n-safr l Marrakech.
Doha: fa adya t-mi?
Jill: f t-tran wlla f s-satyam
. :

:
. :

(CTM).
Doha: fuqa adya t-xrji mn

:
Rabat?
Jill: adya n-xrj f t-tmnya u ns d

:
s-sba.
.
Doha: fin adya t-glsi f Marrakech?

:
Jill: f lotil.
. :
Doha: nu adya t-diri tmma?
Jill: adya n-tsara: adya
n-mi l jam l-fna u qsr
l-bdi ...
Doha: iwa, triq s-slama.
Jill: lla y-slmk.
1. nu bat t-dir djil?
:

:
:
...
.
:
. :
1.
2. we adya t-mi l Fes?
2.
3. we adya t-mi f l-kar?
3.
4. fin adya t-gls?

5. fin kayna jam l-fna?
4.
5.
110 Moroccan Arabic
At the Hotel
look for and use hotel accommodation
use conditional sentences to express possible and impossible
conditions
Hotel Accommodation
Hotels are classified into categories from 0 (non-classified) to 5-star hotels. There is a
reduction of 25% on the second day for Moroccans and foreign residents in Morocco, but
only in classified hotels.

the hotel
lotil
the reception desk
larisipsyun
room
bit / ambr
Is there an inexpensive hotel

we kayn i otil rxis hna?
around here?
Where is a nice hotel?
fin kayn i otil mzyan?
Please take me to a hotel (to

wsslni l i otil afak.
a taxi driver).
A room for one person (a

single).
bit dyal fra wad.
A room for two people.
bit dyal juj d n-nas.
Do you have a room

available?
we ndkum i bit xawi?
Is there a shower with hot

water?
we kayn d-du b l-ma s-sxun?
Whats the price for the

room?
al t-taman dyal l-bit?
Can I see the room?
we ymkn liya n-uf l-bit?
Which floor?
amn tbqa?
Is breakfast included?
we l-ftur msub m a l-bit?
Ill stay for 2 nights.
adi n-gls juj lilat.
Wake me up at ... please.
fiyqni f ... afak
...
Dialogue
Jack u Amanda f lotil
Jack u Amanda: s-salamu alaykum
mul lotil: wa alaykum s-salam
Jack: we kayn i ambr?
mul lotil: iyeh, kayn dyal fra wad
kbir u kayn dyal juj fraat.
Jack: bina dyal fra wad u fih
l-mmam.
mul lotil: mrba.
:
:
:
.

:
.
. :

Jack:
mul lotil:
Amanda:
mul lotil:
Amanda:
mul lotil:
bal lila wda?

140 drhm.
we l-ma sxun?
iyeh a lalla.
waxxa. tina ambr.
mmru had l-wraq,
afakum. ktbu liha
s-smya, l-unwan, u rqm
l-paspor.
Jack: tfdl a sidi.
mul lotil: ukran, ha s-sarut dyal l-bit.
156 f t-tbqa l-luwla.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
fin ma Jack u Amanda?

al mn bit bau?
al t-taman dyal l-bit?
we rxis had lotil?
nu xsshum y-diru ba y-glsu
f had lotil?

140 .

.
.
.
.

.
:
:
:
:
:
:
. :
:
.
156.
1.
2.
3.

4.

5.

The Conditional
There are two basic types of conditional sentences in Moroccan Arabic depending on
whether the if clause represents a possible condition or a contrary-to-fact/impossible
condition.
Type I Conditional: A Possible Condition in the Present/Future

The word ila ( )is equivalent to the English if. It introduces a possible condition only.
This type of conditional sentence is composed of the simple past plus the future, or
sometimes the simple past plus the imperative. This is used in the same context as
English to express a future probable condition.
If he comes tomorrow, tell
him to call me.
ila ja dda, gul lih y-iyt liya.
If I dont come on time, go

without me.
ila ma-jit- f l-wqt, sir.
If I see him, Ill tell (it to)

him.
ila ftu, adi n-gulha lih.
If she finishes the work on

time, well give her some
money.
ila kmmlat l-xdma f l-wqt,

adi n-tiuha l-flus.
If you ask her for it, shell

give it to you.
ila tlbtiha mnha (adi) ttiha lik.
If you go to the post office

bring me two stamps.
ila miti l l-bosta, jib liya juj

tnabr.
.

.
)(
.

.

1. ila huma (tlb) mnk l-flus,
(ma) m ahum l l-banka.
2. ila ana (safr), (jab) kadu.
3. ila nta ma (lqa) {huma} f d-dar,
(iyt) liya.
1. )( )(

.
2. )( ( ).
3. )( {
} ( )
.
112 Moroccan Arabic

4. ila ana (xsr), ma-ymkn- liya
(sift) liha l-flus.
5. ila nta (ja) ndi,
ana (ta) {nta} t-tsawr.
4. )( ( )
.
5. {
)( } )(
.
Type II Conditional: An Impossible Condition in the Past/Present

The word kun ( )is used in the second type of conditional. It also is equivalent to the
English if. This word introduces two different types of contrary-to-fact conditionals. The
first kind refers to past circumstances which did not occur. For example, if we had
worked, which implies that we did not work. The second refers to present but unreal
circumstances. For example, if I were rich, which implies that I am not rich. General
context is the decisive factor in determining whether present or past contrary-to-fact
conditions are referred to.
If I had the money, Id go
with you.
kun kanu ndi l-flus, kun

mit m akum.
If someone had told me, I

would have come to see
you.
kun i wad galha liya, kun

jit n-ufk.
If he were working here, I

would have told you.
kun kan kay-xdm hna,

kun gltha lik.
If it hadnt been for me, he

would have drowned.
kun ma-knt- ana,

kun rq.
If it were not for her, we

wouldnt be eating.
kun ma-kant- hiya,

kun ma-knna- n-aklu.

.
.

.
Exercise:Substitute ila with kun and make the necessary

changes.
1. ila safrt, adi n-gls f lotil.
2. ila miti l Marrakech,
zur jam l-fna.
3. ila nsiti, an-fkkrk.
1. .
2. .

.
3.
4. ila kant ms nhar l-dd j-jay,

an-miu l l-br.
5. ila t lmti l-rbiya mzyan,
adi t-kun mutatawwi naj.

4.
.
5.

.
6. ila ma-tarmti- qanun s-sayr,

adi t-jibha f rask.
6.

.
At the Post Office

buy stamps and send letters and parcels
use prepositions correctly with verbs
The Post Office

Stamps are available at tobacco stores in addition to the post office. It is best to mail
your letters at the mail slot outside the post office since pick-ups can be infrequent at
other mail boxes. When sending packages out of the country, you are required to fill out
a customs declaration form. Be sure to leave the package open because an official is
required to see the contents before it is sealed.
Vocabulary
post office
l-bosta
envelope
jwa
letter
bra
stamp
tanbr
stamps
tnabr
registered
letter
bra rikomandi
postman
l-faktur
post box
bwat ppostal
box (for a
package)
kartona
address
ladrisa
l-unwan
post card
kart ppostal
money
order
l-manda
package
kulya
normal
adi
express
ixpres
customs
d-diwana
tape
s-skot
glue
lsaq
Verbs
to send
sift
to paste
lssq
to fill in (a
form)
mmr
to close / seal
dd
to receive
twssl b
Expressions
I want a stamp for the US /
Morocco please.
bit wad t-tanbr dyal

mirikan / l-mrib afak.
I want to send this letter /

this package.
bit n-sift had l-bra / had

l-kulya.
/

.
How much will I pay to send

this...?
bal adi n-sift had ... ?
...

How much time will it take

for it to arrive to ... ?
al d l-wqt kay-xs ba t-wsl

l ... ?
Why dont letters arrive

quickly?
la l-brawat ma-kay-wslu-
diya.

...

114 Moroccan Arabic
Dialogue
f l-bosta

Judy: bit t-tnabr, lla y-xllik.

. :
l
muwd fin adya t-sifti l-brawat?

:
daf:
Judy: bit n-sift wda adiya l mirikan u

:
wda rikumandi hna f l-mrib.

.
l

muwd waxxa a lalla, ndk 22.50 drhm.
22.50
.
:
daf:
Paul: ana bit n-sift kulya l mirikan.
. :
l
muwd ara n-uf nu fiha.
.
:
daf:
Paul: hak a sidi.
. :
l

muwd mmr had l-mtbu afak.

. :
daf:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
l
muwd we t-siftha adi wlla ixpres?

:
daf:
Paul: ir adi afak.
. :
l

muwd waxxa a sidi, ndk 250 drhm.
250
.
:
daf:
Paul &

.
ukran, bslama.

Judy:
:
l
muwd lla y-awn.
.
:
daf:

1.
1. nu kat-dir Judy f l-bosta?

2. we bat t-sift l-brawat ixpres?
2.
3.
3. nu ba y-sift Paul?
4. nu xssu y-dir?
4.

Exercise:Make as many sentences as you can using the

following words. You may need to add some of your
own words.
mit
bau
ra
manda
ma
bina
af
kulya
mat
xda
tnabr
l l-bosta
la qqa
bit
mina
bat
sift
mau
ba
srf
mitu
bitu
mirikan
bwat
ppostal
Using Prepositions with Pronoun Endings &

Verbs
Learning how to use prepositions correctly can sometimes be tricky.

First, the
prepositions dont always correspond directly to English prepositions . Thus, at different
times in Moroccan Arabic we will use different prepositions for what would be the same
preposition in English. Second, prepositions sometimes change in meaning depending
upon the verb they are used with. This is true in English, too:
She spoke on the rights of homeless people. (on means on the subject of)
I put the book on the table. (on means on top of)
With these challenges, it may take awhile for you to be a master of Darija prepositions.
But with continued use and exposure, they will become natural for you, just as greetings
are now natural for you. In this section, we will look at two aspects of prepositions: 1. how
to connect prepositions with pronoun endings, and 2. which verbs use certain
prepositions.
Some prepositions you have already learned (such as dyal) simply add the normal
pronoun endings (ex. dyali, dyalk, etc.). The following prepositions, however, change
slightly when pronoun endings are added:
to / for
on / about
la
with
m a
in / at / about
with / by
The Preposition l
The preposition l ( )often means to (ex. I gave something to you) or for (ex. I did
something for you). It may also be used with certain verbs simply to express the
meaning of the verb; in these cases, it doesnt translate into anything in English. To add
the pronoun endings:
to / for
to / for me
liya / li
to / for you
(sing.)
lik
to / for him
lih / lu
to / for her
liha
to / for us
lina
to / for you (plur.) likum
to / for them
lihum
116 Moroccan Arabic

Some verbs that go with this preposition:
excuse
sm l
explain (to)
fssr (l)
)
)
say (to)
gal (l)
) )
send (to)
sift (l)
) )
bring (to)
to be possible
(for...)
jab (l)
) )
ymkn (l)
) )
Some examples:
Thomas bought a present

for Jessica on her birthday.
Kristin siftat bra

l Chad.
Kristin siftat bra lih.
Thomas ra wad l-kadu
l Jessica f id l-milad dyalha.
Thomas bought it for her.
Thomas rah liha.
Excuse me.
sm liya.
Can I (i.e . is it p o s s ibfoler m )e talk

with you?
we ymkn liya n-hdr m ak?
I cant (i.e . it is n o t p o s s fo
ib le
r m )e
go out now.
ma-ymkn- liya n-xrj deba.
Kristin sent a letter to Chad.

Kristin sent a letter to him.
.
.

.
.
.

.
As you can see in the example Excuse me above, sometimes the Arabic verb requires
the preposition in order to be equivalent to the English verb. In these cases, the English
translation doesnt have a preposition, but the Arabic still requires it.
The Preposition la
The preposition la is used with many verbs and expressions, and as a result it translates
into many English prepositions, including: on, about, to, at, and others. With
pronoun endings:
on (and others)
la
on me
liya
on you (sing.)
lik
on him
lih
on her
liha
on us
lina
on you (plur.)
likum
on them
lihum

defend
daf la
look/search
(for)
qllb (la)
speak (about) tkllm (la)
lie (to)
kdb (la)
) )
) )
laugh (at)
dk (la)
) )
) )
to love (i.e.
to be dying
for)
mat (la)
) )
In the first verb, defend, the preposition la does not have an English translation since it
is required in order to translate the Arabic verb into defend. In the second verb,

look/search, however, the preposition la is basically equivalent to the English for.
Some examples:
Did we talk about the role
of Peace Corps in Morocco?
Yes, we talked about it.
we tkllmna la d-dawr dyal

hay'at s-salam f l-mrib?
iyeh, tkllmna lih.
Are you looking for a house

to rent?
we kat-qllb la dar l l-kra?
Yes, Im looking for one.
iyeh, kan-qllb liha.
I love (am dying for) pizza.
kan-mut la l-pitza.
I love it.
kan-mut liha
Dont lie to me.
ma-tkdb- liya.
Hes laughing at me.
kay-dk liya.

.

.

.

.
.

The Preposition m a
The preposition m a almost always translates into the English with. With pronouns:
with
m a
with me
m aya
with you (sing.)
m ak
with him
m ah
with her
m aha
with us
m ana
with you (plur.)
m akum
with them
m ahum

laugh (with)
dk (m a)
) )
meet (with)
tlaqa (m a)
be helpful
(with)
t awn (m a)
) )
stay (with)
bqa (m a)
shake hands
(with)
tsalm (m a)
) )
argue (with)
txasm (m a)
) )
) )
) )
Some examples:
I met (with) Samir in the
post office.
tlaqit m a Samir f l-bosta.
I met (with) him in the post

tlaqit m ah f l-bosta.
office.
Im just kidding! (with you) ir kan-dk m ak!
Would you like to come to
the movies with me?
biti t-mi l s-sinima m

aya?

.
.
!

The Preposition f
Like la, the preposition f has many different English translations, including: in, about,
at, on, and others. When used with pronouns:
118 Moroccan Arabic

in
in me
fiya
in you (sing.)
fik
in him
fih
in her
fiha
in us
fina
in you (plur.)
fikum
in them
fihum

ask (about)
suwl (f)
)
)
think (about)
fkkr (f)
)
)
talk (about) a
hdr (f)
person
) )
participate
(in)
ark (f)
) )
take care (of) thlla (f)
) )
trust (in)
taq (f)
) )
Some examples:
I came over (asked about
you) yesterday, but I didnt
find you.
suwlt fik l-bar, welakin malqitk-.
We trusted (in) him, but he

betrayed us.
tqna fih, u dr bina.
Take care of yourself.
thlla f rask.

.
.
.
This preposition, with pronouns, can also have the meaning of the verb to be.
I am hungry.
fiya j-ju .
I am thirsty.
fiya l-t.
He has a fever.
fih s-sxana.
.
.
.
And sometimes it takes the meaning of to have in the expression to have in it/them.
This house has five rooms.
had d-dar fiha xmsa d

l-byut.
The Preposition b
The preposition b usually has the meaning of with (I eat with my hands), but can also
be used for: by, in, about, for, and others. With pronouns:
with
with me
biya
with you (sing.)
bik
with him
bih
with her
biha
with us
bina
with you (plur.)
bikum
with them
bihum

believe (in)
amn (b)
) )
marry (with)
tzuwj (b)
dream
(about)
lm (b)
) )
welcome
rb b
tkllf (b)
) )
want to be
separated
(from)
sxa (b)
) )
be
responsible
(for)
) )
Some examples:
She married (with) him last
year.
tzuwjat bih l-am l-li fat.
They welcomed me into their

house.
rbu biya f darhum.
I dreamed about him.
lmt bih.

.
.
Exercise:Replace the underlined nouns with the corresponding

pronouns. Sometimes you will need to use a
preposition and pronoun together.
Example: l-qt kla l-ut. l-qt klah.
1. Tony rb l-lib.
2. Ahmed ra tumubil.
3. l-mutatawwi in mau l s-suq.
4. Latifa ddat d-drari l l-mdrasa.
5. we nsiti l-magana f d-dar?
6. Greg ta l-flus l Amy.
7. d-drari safru m a sabhum.
8. Sara ma-kat-akul- l-lm.
9. sllm la mwalin d-dar.
10. Jerry kay-xaf mn Tom.
1. .
2. .
3.
.

4. .
5.

6. .
7. .

.
8.
9. .
.
10.
Exercise:Make all of the above verb forms negative.
120 Moroccan Arabic
Describing the Peace Corps Mission

talk about the three goals of Peace Corps
describe your job in Morocco
Peace Corps
Text
nu hiya hay'at s-salam?
hay'at s-salam munddama amrikiya kat-sift
mutatawwi in l d-duwal n-namiya u l-ahdaf
dyalha hiya:
1. t-t awn t-tiqni
2. l-mirikanin y-fhmu mzyan -u ub
l-li stadfathum u y-rrfu b dik
-u ub f mirikan
3. -u ub l-mustadifa tta hiya
t-t rrf la l-mirikaniyin.
:
1.

2.

3.


organization
munddama
developing nations
d-duwal n-namiya
goals
ahdaf
technical help
t-t awn t-tiqni
peoples
-u ub
to host
stadf
to inform
rrf
host (adjective)
mustadif(a)
)
)
The Three Goals Of The Peace Corps

To help people of interested countries
and areas in meeting their needs for
trained men and women;
To help promote a better
understanding of the American people
on the part of the peoples served;
To help promote a better
understanding of other peoples on the
part of the American people.
Youth Development
Dialogue
Susan: s-salamu alaykum.
Jamila: wa alaykum s-salam. al
hadi u nti f l-mrib?
Susan: amayn u adya n-gls hna
amayn wlla tlt snin
inallah.
Jamila: nu kat-diri?
Susan: ana mutatawwi a m a
hay'at s-salam u an-xdm f
dar -bab.

. :

.
:

:
.

:

:

.

:
Jamila: nu at-diri b d-dbt?

Susan: adya n-qrri n-ngliziya u
adya n-dir maari m a
j-jm iyat u ay aja l-li ndha
alaqa m a tnmiyat -bab.
Jamila: iwa tbark lla lik

a lalla.
.
:
. :
Susan: lla y-bark fik.

youth development
tnmiyat -bab
youth center
dar -bab
exactly
b d-dbt
relationship
alaqa
project*
mru
association
jam iya
projects
maari
associations
jam iyat
activity*
naat
director
mudir
activities
anita
anything
ay aja
* In Morocco, the word for project suggests to some Moroccans an undertaking that
requires money. The word for activity does not have this connotation. You will often be
safer, therefore, using the word for activity, since most of what you do will not based
upon major grants or fundraising.
122 Moroccan Arabic
Environment
Text
smiti Judy. ana kan-xdm m a brnamaj l-bi'a
d hay'at s-salam. l-muhima dyali hiya n-uf
kifa n-nas kay-t amlu m a t-tabi a.
kan-gul l n-nas u t-turis l-li kay-zuru lipark
ba ma-y-luu- z-zbl f ay blasa. u y-afdu
la l-bi'a mn t-talawut.
u ba n-nas ma-y-qtu- -jr u y-afd u la
l-aba. kan-awl n-uf m ahum i turuq
xora ba y-tiybu u ma-y-sthlku- bzzaf d
l-tb u kan-dir maari m a j-jam iyat f
majal l-muafad a l l-bi'a u t-tnmiyat l
l-umum.

.

.
..

.


environment
program
l-bi'a
brnamj
to deal (with) t aml (m a)
) )
nature
tabi a
trash
z-zbl
to protect
afd la
pollution
t-tulwut
trees
-jr
forest
aba
ways
turuq
firewood
l-tb
field / domain majal

in general
l l-umum
to cut
qt
to consume
sthlk
Health
Dialogue

.
:
. :
.
:

Sumiya: s-salamu alaykum.

Christine: wa alaykum s-salam.
Sumiya: ftk l-bar f s-sbitar. we nti
frmliya?
Christine:
lla mai frmliya u mai tbiba.
Sumiya: nu xdmtk?
Christine: kan-tkllm m a n-nas la
sthum u st wladhum.
Sumiya: we kat-tihum d-dwa?
Christine: ma-kan-tihum- d-dwa u makan-dir- libra. kan-gul l n-nas
nu xsshum y-diru ba
ma-y-mrdu- huma wlla
wladhum. u kan-hdr m ahum
la l-'ahammiya dyal d-dwa d
l-bir, u bit l-ma u sil l-yddin u
d-dwa d l-kr.
.
.

Sumiya: mzyan. had -i muhim. u
sabtk nu kat-dir?
Christine: kat-gul lihum y-jlbu l wladhum

ba ma-y-mrdu- u kat-r
lihum nu xsshum y-diru ila ma

bau- y-wldu bzzaf u kat-ns
l-yalat l-amlat ba y-miu l

.
s-sbitar.
Sumiya: had -i mzyan. tbark lla
.
.
likum.
Christine: lla y-bark fik.

.
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

health
s-sa
the
importance
l-'ahammiya
))
the (water)
well
l-bir
diarrhea
l-kr
to immunize
jlb
d-dwa
to give birth
wld
libra
pregnant
amla
health clinic
s-sbitar
nurse
l-frmli(ya)
doctor
t-tbib(a)
to be sick
mrd
medicines
the shot
))
124 Moroccan Arabic
Small Business Development

Dialogue

. :
. :
Chris: s-salamu alaykum.

l-m llm: wa alaykum s-salam.
Chris: sm li n-qddm lik rasi.

.
l-m llm: iyeh, tfddl a sidi.

.
Chris: smiti Chris, ana mutatawwi

m a hay'at s-salam u jit hna

ba n-awn l-muqawalat

.
s-sira.

l-m llm: u kifa at-awnha?
Chris: f bzzaf d l-wayj, bal

l-isabat u l-'ihar u t-tswiq.
.

matalan kan-sawbu lakart d

vizit l l-muqawala u

kan-tiuha smiya u

kan-hhru l-mntuj dyalha f l.
internet.
l-m llm: had -i mumtaz welakin ba

at-stafd had l-muqawala?

Chris: at-stafd it at-bi s-sl a

dyalha f l-mrib u f l-xarij.

l-m llm: mzyan. lla y-awnk.

..
.
Chris: ukran a sidi.

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

small business development tnmiyat l-muqawalat s-sira
enterprise /
firm
l-muqawala
accountancy
l-isabat
advertisemen
l-'ihar
t
to advertise
hhr
marketing
t-tswiq
products
l-mntuj
merchandise
s-sl a
business card lakart d vizit

abroad
l-xarij
to advertise
the products
hhr b
l-mntuj
Renting a House
speak about renting and furnishing houses
Finding a House
Vocabulary
building /
block of flats
imara
floor
tbqa
apartment
brtma
house
dar
stairs
druj
elevator
sansur
balcony
balkun
rental agent
(in cities)
s-smsar
living room
salun
bedroom
bit n-n as
bathroom
bit l-ma /
twalet
bath
l-mmam
shower
d-du
kitchen
l-kuzina
neighbor
jar(a)
))
neighbors
jiran
Expressions
Im looking for a house to
rent.
kan-qllb la i dar l l-kra.
Can you show it to me?
we ymkn lik t-wrriha liya?
Where is it located?
amn blasa?
Give me directions to it.
n t liya fin jat.
Can I see it?
we ymkn liya n-ufha?
How many rooms does it

have?
al fiha mn bit?
Is the roof for common use?
we s-st mruk?
.

.

126 Moroccan Arabic
Dialogue

:
:
Mark: s-salamu alaykum

l-aj: wa alaykum s-salam
Mark: we kayna i dar l l-kra?
l-aj: we biti maal kbir wlla

sir?
Mark: bit dar mtwssta, y-kun fiha

salun u bit n-n as u d-du u
kuzina u kat-dxl liha -ms u
y-kun s-st dyali b-wdi.

:

.
l-aj: kayna wda welakin t-taman

dyalha 20.000 ryal.
Mark: lla bzzaf liya, laqqa ana
ir b-wdi u ma-adi- n-qdr
n-xlls had t-taman.

:

20.000.

:
.

:
l-aj: al biti t-xlls?
10.000 . :
Mark: 10.000 ryal.

l-aj: iwa f had s-sa a
ma-mujuda- i aja b dak
t-taman. welakin mrra mrra
rj ndi, ila lqit i aja adi
n-lmk.
.

.
Mark: waxxa a sidi, barak lla u fik.

. :
. :
l-aj: lla y-bark fik.

1. la ma Mark nd l-aj?
1.
2.
2. we ba dar kbira wlla dar sira?

3. nu ba y-kun f had d-dar?
4. we af Mark d-dar l-li hdr
liha l-aj?
5. la ma-kraha-?
6. we kayna i dar xora rxs
mn hadi?
7. fuqa adi y-rj Mark nd l-aj?
3.

4.
5.
6.

7.
Furnishing a House
House Furniture
table
tbla
chair
kursi
bed
namusiya
mxdda /
usada
pillow
radio / tape
recorder
musjjala
television
tlfaza
electric outlet priz
light bulb
bola

floor mat
sira
electric cord
xit d d-dow
rug
zrbiya
carpet
mukit
blanket
manta / kaa
candle
m a
iron
mslu / dida /
key / switch
sarut
curtain
xamiya
broom
taba
sheet
izar
squeegee
jbbada / jfafa
Moroccan
sofa
ponj
water heater
ufu
couch
sdari
heater
ofaj
refrigerator
tllaja
spoon
m lqa
oven
frran
knife
mus
blender
tana
fork
frita
saucepan
gamila
glass
kas
cooking pot
tawa
teapot
brrad
plate
tbsil
coffee pot
briq
brazier
mjmr
tray
siniya
grill
uwaya
bowl
zlafa
strainer
sffaya
kettle
mqraj
pressure
cooker
kokot
pitcher
rraf
sifter
rbal
couscous pot
brma
frying pan
mqla
ladle
mrfa
faucet
robini
Kitchenware
Exercise:Put the household items in the correct room.

butagaz
kursi
namusiya
tbla
sabun
m lqa
mus
tawa
ktab
l-ma
d-du
tbsil
usada
kuzina
mus
bit n-n as

bit l-ma

128 Moroccan Arabic

sffaya
robini
Exercise:Describe in Darija the house you want to rent.
Moroccan Wisdom:
ydd wda ma-kat-sffq-.
One hand cant clap.
Safety and Security

list some safety and security problems you may face during your
service
describe some strategies for dealing with these issues
use Moroccan Arabic to implement these strategies
Sexual Harassment
Vocabulary
gazelle*
l-zala
to follow someone tb
the beautiful*
z-zwina
to get in
someone's way
t rrd
the beauty*
z-zin
to harass
ngg
a strawberry
(girl)*
t-tuta
*These words are used by men to harass women.
Expressions
sexual harassment
tarru jinsi
He followed me.
tb ni.
What do you want?
nu biti?
Go away.
sir f alk.
Get away (far) from me.
b d mnni.
Let go of me.
tlq mnni.
Dont touch me.
ma-t-qisni-.
Dont follow me again.
ma-t-awd- t-tb ni.
Give me some space. (go

away)
tini t-tisa .
Go or you will regret it.
sir wlla adi t-ndm.
I will tell the police.
adi n-bll l-bulis.
I will call the gendarmes.
adi n-iyt la j-jadarmiya.
Respect yourself.
tarm rask.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
He doesnt want to get away

ma-ba- y-b d mnni.
(far) from me.
I told you: get away (far)

from me.
glt lik: b d mnni.
: .
I told you: go away.
glt lik: sir f alk.
: .
Text - Arabic

.
. " :" .
" :
.

. "
130 Moroccan Arabic

. .

" . " :
.
.
.

Text - Transcription
Cathy xarja mn dar -bab
mlli Cathy xarja mn dar -bab, kan wad mul t-tumubil waqf f j-jnb dyal t-triq.
mnin wslat Cathy dah, gal liha: "tl i a l-zala n-wsslk." Cathy galt lih: "sir f alk. we
biti i wad y-tb xtk?" bqat Cathy adya u bqa mul t-tumubil tb ha. qtat Cathy
t-triq l j-jiha l-xura. nat rasha u kmmlat triqha. f nhar t-tani awd nfs -i m a mul
t-tumubil. f nhar t-talt galt Cathy l mul t-tumubil: "ila awdti tb ni adi n-bll l-bulis." b
l-fi l awd tb ha u mat l l-bulis u bllat u tathum rqm t-tumubil. l-bulis ddu mul
t-tumubil u iytu la Cathy. tlb mul t-tumubil s-smaa mn Cathy u ltazm ba ma-bqi-
y-t rrd liha mrra xora.
Questions
1. fin kant Cathy?
1.
2. fin kan mul t-tumubil?
2.
3. nu gal mul t-tumubil l Cathy?

4. we mat Cathy m a mul t-tumubil?
5. nu dart Cathy mlli awd tb ha
mul t-tumubil?
6. nu dar mul t-tumubil mlli dduh
l-bulis?
3.
4.
5.
6.

Text - English Translation

Cathy coming out of the youth center
When Cathy was coming out of the youth center, there was a man in his car by
the side of the road. As she passed by him, he told her: Get in gazelle, I will take you
home. Cathy said: Go away. Is it okay with you if someone harasses your sister?
Cathy kept walking and the man was following her with his car. She crossed the road,
ignoring him, and continued on her way. The next day, the same thing happened with
that man. The following day Cathy told the man: If you follow me again I will tell the
police. In fact, he did follow her again and so she went to the police station. She told
them what happened and gave them the license plate number. The police arrested the
man and called Cathy. The man apologized to Cathy and promised not to get in her
way again.
At the Taxi Stand

Vocabulary
seat
blasa
tire
rwida
smooth
memsua
windshield
j-jaja
cracked
mquqa
to be afraid
xaf
to happen
wq
Expressions
Drive slowly please.
Better safe than sorry.
sug b -wiya afak.

llahumma slama wala
ndama.
.

.
Dialogue

. :
f matta
d t-taxiyat
l-kurti: blasa Akka, blasa Akka.
. :
Max: ana adi l Akka.
. :
l-kurti: tl .
. :
.
Max: bllati, xllini n-uf t-taksi b

da. ma-bit- n-mi f had
t-taksi.
l-kurti: la?

:

.
Max: r-rwayd mmsuin u j-jaja

l-qddamiya mquqa.
l-kurti: ir zid ma-t-xaf-, ma adi ywq walu.

:
.
Max: uf liya i taxi mzyan afak.

l-kurti: xssk t-tsnna wiya.
Max: l-wqt mai mukil. llahumma
slama wala ndama.
.

. :

.
:
.
Questions
1. fin kayn Max?
1.
2. fin adi Max?

3. la ma-ma- f t-taxi l-li af?
2.
3.
4. nu tlb mn l-kurti?
4.
English Translation
At the taxi stand
l-kurti: A seat to Aqqa, a seat to Aqqa.
Max: I am going to Aqqa.
l-kurti: Get in.
Max: Wait. Let me see the taxi first. . . . I dont want to go in this taxi.
l-kurti: Why?
Max: The tires are smooth and the windshield is cracked.
l-kurti: Come on, dont worry. Nothing is going to happen.
Max: Find me a good taxi.
l-kurti: You have to wait a little bit.
Max: Time is not a problem. Better safe than sorry.
132 Moroccan Arabic
At Work
Vocabulary
to bring in
dxxl
to take out
xrrj
to steal
srq
to be stolen
tsrq
to lock to
(something)
dd m a
a lock
qfl
Dialogue
f l-xdma
lomolog: s-salamu alaykum. jiti bkri
l-yum.
Patrick: wa alaykum s-salam. i
wiya.
lomolog: a hada? la dxxlti l-bisklit l
l-biru.
Patrick: ah, adi y-tsrq ila xllitu brra.
lomolog: welakin hadi mai blasa d
l-bisklit.
Patrick: iyeh, welakin a adi n-dir?
lomolog: dir qfl l l-bisklit u ddu m a
l-bab dyal brra.
Patrick: fikra mzyana. ma-fkkrt- fiha.
lomolog: we ndk qfl?
Patrick: iyeh, ndi. n-xrrju daba u nddu m a l-bab.

.

. :
. :
.

:
.
. :

. :

.
. .

:
:
:
:

. :
.
. :
lomolog: sdd t-lqa ma-t-ll.
Questions
1. la dxxl Patrick l-bisklit l
l-biru?
2. nu gal lomolog l Patrick?
1.

3. nu dar Patrick f t-tali?
2.
3.
English Translation
At work
counterpart: Peace be upon you. You came in early today.
Patrick: Peace be upon you too. A little bit.
counterpart: Whats this? Why did you bring your bicycle into the office?
Patrick: Oh. It will be stolen if I leave it outside.
counterpart: But this is not the place for bicycles.
Patrick: Yes, but what should I do?
counterpart: Use a lock with the bicycle, and lock it to the gate.
Patrick: Good idea. I didnt think about that.
counterpart: Do you have a lock?
Patrick: Yes, I have one. Ill take it outside now and lock it to the gate.
counterpart: Lock now what you will find later.
Forgetting a Wallet in a Taxi / Filing a

Report
Vocabulary
police
bulis
police station kumisariya

wallet
bztam
to lose
wddr
to forget
nsa
to save
(someone)
tq
Expressions
Help me.
awnni.
I lost my passport.
wddrt l-ppasppor.
I forgot my wallet in...
nsit l-bztam dyali f...
Wheres the police station?
fin l-kumisariya?
Help me! (use only in extrem e
tqu r-ru.
danger)
.

.
...

.
Dialogue
Brian: s-salamu alaykum.
bulis: wa alaykum s-salam.
Brian: sm li, nsit l-bztam dyali f
wad t-taksi.
bulis: waxxa, nu smitk?
Brian: smiti Brian ....
bulis: nu kayn f l-bztam?
Brian: fih l-ppasppor dyali u wad
lakart viza u 500 drhm.
bulis: we qlti la n-nmra dyal
t-taksi?
Brian: 45.
bulis: waxxa, xlli liya r-rqm d
t-tilifun dyalk, adi n-ttaslu
bik mn b d.
Brian: ukran.
bulis: lla ukran ala wajib.

. :
. :

:
.

:
. :
:

:
500 .

:
45. :

:
.

. :
. :
Questions
1. fin ma Brian? la?
1.
2. we tsrq lih l-bztam?
2.
134 Moroccan Arabic
English Translation
Brian: Peace be upon you.
police: Peace be upon you too.
Brian: Excuse me, I forgot my wallet in a taxi.
police: Okay, whats your name?
Brian: My name is Brian ...
police: What was in the wallet?
Brian: My passport, a Visa card, and 500 dirham.
police: Do you remember the taxis number?
Brian: 45.
police: Okay, leave me your phone number, well call you later.
Brian: Thanks.
police: Its my duty.
Butagas
Vocabulary
metal regulator
between gas
tank and hose
l-magana
to test
jrrb
to close
(tank)
sdd
to open
(tank)
ll
butane gas
tank
l-buta
gas
l-gaz
CO detector
d-ditiktur
battery
l-jra
gasket
(rubber ring)
j-jlda d l-buta
torn
mqtt(a)
hose
to turn on /
xddm
to make work
)
)
to change
bddl
t-tiyu
to tighten
ziyr
odor / smell
r-ria
to smell
mm
ring
l-xatm
Expressions
There is a gas smell.
kayna r-ria d l-gaz.
Turn on the detector.
xddm d-ditiktur.
Test the butagas tank with

water and soap.
jrrb l-buta b l-ma u s-sabun.
Change the rubber ring if its

bddl j-jlda d l-buta ila tqtat.
torn.
Dialogue
Fatima nd Caroline
Fatima: ahlan bixir.
.
:

Caroline: bixir l-amdullah, mrba bik.
Fatima: ukran. aji mmit r-ria d
l-buta.
Caroline: ma-mmit-, rah ndi d-ditiktur
d l-gaz welakin ma-fih- l-jra.
Fatima: xssk t-xddmih dima, had -i
mai l b. aji n-ufu j-jlda d
l-buta b da.
Caroline: waxxa.
Fatima: j-jlda mqtta. had -i xatar.
xssna n-bddluha u mn b d njrrbu b l-ma u s-sabun.
Caroline: fikra mzyana.

.

.
.
.

.

.
.
:
:
Questions
1. la ma-xddmat- Caroline
d-ditiktur d l-gaz?
2. nu l-mukil f l-buta dyal
Caroline?
3. nu xss Caroline u Fatima y-diru?
1.

2.

3.

English Translation
Fatima: Hello, how are you?
Caroline: Fine, thanks be to God. Welcome.
Fatima: Thanks. Come here . . . I smell gas.
Caroline: I dont smell it. I have a gas detector but it ran out of batteries.
Fatima: You should always have it on. This is no game. Lets look at the
rubber gasket ring first.
Caroline: Okay.
Fatima: You see, the rubber ring is torn. This is dangerous. We have to
change it, then test it with water and soap.
Caroline: Good idea.
Hash
Vocabulary
hashish
l-i
quality
kaliti / nu
to smoke
kma
to use
st ml
sticking to /
bothering
someone
lasq
Dialogue
Jalil: aji axay, we kat-qllb la
l-i?
Scott: lla, sir f alk. ana ma-kan-st
mlu-.
.
:
136 Moroccan Arabic

:
.
Jalil: aji, rah ndi kaliti zwina mn

ktama.
Scott: glt lik sir f alk. b d mnni.
ana ma-kan-kmi-.
Jalil: uf, n-dir m ak taman mzyan.
Scott: uf nta, ila bqiti lasqni adi ngulha l l-bulis. ana makan-kmi-.
. :
..

:
.

:
.
.
! .
:
Jalil: l-bulis! safi lla y-awnk.
Questions
1. m a mn tlaqa Scott?
1.
2.

3.
2. nu ba mnnu Jalil?
3. we ra Scott l-i?
4. la xaf Jalil u ma b alu?
4.

English Translation
Jalil: Come here (brother), are you looking for hash?
Scott: No, go away. I dont use it.
Jalil: Come on, its good stuff from Ktama.
Scott: I said go away. I dont smoke.
Jalil: Look, Ill give you a good price.
Scott: You look, if you keep bothering me Ill call the police. I dont smoke.
Jalil: Police! Okay, may God help you.
Theft
Vocabulary
theft
s-srqa
danger
xatar
dangerous
xatir
make a statement /
file a report
sjjl d wa
summons
stid a
witness
ahd
testimony
ahada
police
l-bulis
police inspector
l-inspiktur
police car
fargunit
report
rappur
law
l-qanun
thief
ffar / srraq
to touch
qas
to forgive
sm l...
...
he attacked me
t dda liya
he snatched
my...
xtf liya...
he slapped me
srfqni
he hit me
drbni
he spit on me
dfl liya
he grabbed me
from...
ddni mn...
he cursed me
sbbni
he stole my...
srq liya...
he insulted me
ayrni
...

...
...
human rights
uquq
l-'insan
lawyer
muami
medical certificate / ahada
report
tibbiya
to call (the
police)
iyt l
court
mkama
Expressions
Wheres the closest police /
gendarme station, please.
fin 'aqrab kumisariya /

brigad d j-jundarm, afak?
I want to make a statement

about a theft / an attack /
sexual harassment.
bit n-bll la s-srqa / i tida'

/ tarru jinsi.
What police station should I

go to?
lamn kumisariya xssni nmi?
Take me to the closest

police station, please.
ddini l 'aqrab kumisariya,

afak.
Be careful!
d i rask!
Pay attention.
rdd balk.
Come with me to the police.
zid m aya l l-bulis.

/ /

Dialogue
John:
bulis:
John:
bulis:
John:
bulis:
John:
bulis:
John:
bulis:
John:
bulis:
John:
bulis:
John:
s-salamu alaykum.
wa alaykum s-salam. nu xssk?
bit n-bll la i srqa.
we lik nta?
iyeh.
waxxa, tini l-ppaspor dyalk.
ndi ir la-kart d sejur, hak.
tta hiya mzyana. nu srq lik? u
fuqa?
sak, f 3:00.
kif dar srq lik s-sak?
xtfu liya mn ktfi.
kif dayr had -ffar? wsfu liya.
twil u labs djin u t-urt mr.
nu kayn f had s-sak b d-dbt?
ndi fih tilifun u futa u ktab u musjjala
sira (walkman) u 200 drhm.
bulis: waxxa, a sidi. adi n-diru l-bt dyalna

u n-taslu bik mn b d.
John: safi, we n-mi?
bulis: lla, tsnna tta t-axud m ak nsxa mn
r-rappur.
John: waxxa ukran.
bulis: hak, daba n-taslu bik. di rask mrra
xura.

.
.

.

.
.
.

3:00 .

.

.
.

200 )(

.
.

.

.

.
.
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
138 Moroccan Arabic
English Translation
John: Peace be upon you.
police officer: Peace be upon you too. Can I help you?
John: I want to report a theft.
police officer: Are you the victim?
John: Yes.
police officer: Okay, your passport, please.
John: I have only my carte de sejour. Here
you are.
police officer: Thats okay. What was stolen from you
and when?
John: A bag at 3:00.
police officer: How was it stolen?
John: A man snatched it from my shoulder.
police officer: Can you describe the thief?
John: Hes tall, wearing jeans and a red T-shirt.
police officer: What exactly did you have in the bag?
John: A cell phone, a towel, a book, a walkman,
and 200 dirham.
police officer: Okay, sir, well do our investigation and
well get in touch with you later.
John: Thats it? Can I leave?
police officer: Wait a minute, youve got to take a
photocopy of the report.
John: Okay, thanks.
police officer: Here you are. Well get in touch with you.
Be careful in the future.
House Security / Doors and Windows

Vocabulary
lock
qfl
welder
sudur /
ddad
latch / bolt
s-saqta
sliding metal
bolt for locking
doors
z-zkrum
iron bars
barrat
hardware
store
d-drogri
Dialogue
Jamal: s-salamu alaykum.
Carlos: wa alaykum s-salam.
mrba bik.
Jamal: a kat-dir f d-dar?
Carlos: walu, ir gals.
Jamal: yallah n-xrju.
Carlos: waxxa.
Jamal: nu hada? had l-qfl iyan.
xssk wad si. u xssk
saqta ba t-sdd ldaxl.
Carlos: fikra mzyana. mnin adi nrihum?
Jamal: mn d-drugri wlla mn s-suq
dda. u tta had s-srjm xssu
barrat dyal l-did ba thnna.
aji n-miu nd s-sudur
n-sawbu had s-srjm daba.
xssk ir t-dd l-bar dyalu.
Carlos: hadi fikra mu tabara.
Jamal: iyeh, llahumma slama wala
ndama.
:

.
. :
.

.
.

.

.
.
:
:
:
:
.
:
.

:

.
.

. :

:
.
Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
nu kan Carlos kay-dir?

nu l-mukil dyal Carlos?
nu xss Carlos ydir?
mnin adi y-ri l-qfl u s-saqta?
nd mn adi y-sawb l-barrat?

1.
2.

3.

4.
5.
English Translation
Jamal:
Carlos:
Jamal:
Carlos:
Jamal:
Carlos:
Jamal:
Carlos:
Jamal:
Carlos:
Jamal:
Peace be upon you.

And peace be upon you too. Welcome.
What are you doing at home?
Nothing, just sitting around.
Lets go out.
Okay.
What is this? This lock is not strong. You need a strong one. You also
need a sliding metal bolt in order to lock the door from the inside.
Good idea. Where can I get these from?
From the hardware store or from souk tomorrow. Also this window
needs iron bars for you to feel safe. Lets go to the welders to fix this
window now. You need to measure it.
Excellent idea.
Its better to be safe than sorry.
140 Moroccan Arabic
Political Harassment
Vocabulary
to end
wqf
war
l-rb
citizen
muwatin
normal
adi
freedom
l-uriya
democracy
d-dimuqratiya
subject
mudu
population,
people
- b
for
m a
against
dedd
to convince
qn
killing
l-qtila
to kill
qtl
Dialogue
kan John gals f l-qhwa kay-qra "Newsweek" u
kanu n-nas kay-tfrrju f "Al-Jazira." wad mn
n-nas gal l John:
muwatin: hdr m a Bush y-wqqf had
l-rb.
John: ana ir muwatin adi mn
mirikan. xdmti hiya n-awn
n-nas f l-mrib. had -i l-li
kan-rf. safi.
muwatin: welakin kat-gulu ndkum
l-uriya u d-dimuqratiya.
John: had -i bss welakin ana ir
mirikani adi mn - b.
muwatin: kulkum bal bal, kat-biu
l-rb. f mirikan ktr mn 50% d
n-nas m a l-rb. tta nta
mnhum.
John: lla. ana m a 50% xora l-li
dedd l-rb.
muwatin: kifa adi n-rfu?
John: kifa adi n-qn k?
muwatin: ma-n-rf welakin mirikan xssha
t-wqqf l-qtila dyal n-nas.
John: mttafq m ak.
bqat wad l-mjmu a d n-nas f l-qhwa
kay-tkllmu la had l-mudu u kay-ufu f
John. John xlls qhwtu u ma f alu.

""

" .
"
:

.

:
.

.
.

.
%50

..

:
:
%50 .

:
.

:
:

.
. :

.

.
Questions
1. fin kan John?
2. nu kan kay-dir?
3. nu kanu n-nas kay-diru?
4. nu hiya l-xdma dyal John f
1.

2.

3.
4.


l-mrib?
5. we mirikan kulha m a l-rb?
6. we John m a wlla ddd l-rb?

5.

6.
7. nu dar John f t-tali?
7.
English Translation
John was sitting in a caf reading Newsweek. Some people there were watching AlJazeera. One of the men at the caf said to John:
Moroccan
Talk to Bush about stopping this war.
citizen:
John: Im just a normal citizen from America. My job is to help people in
Morocco. Thats all I know.
Moroccan
But in America you say you have freedom and democracy.
citizen:
John: Thats true, but I am just a normal American.
Moroccan You are all the same. You all like war. In America more than 50% of the
citizen: people are for the war. You are one of them.
John: No, I am with the other Americans against the war.
Moroccan
How are we going to know?
citizen:
John: How can I convince you?
Moroccan
I dont know but America must stop killing people.
citizen:
John: I agree.
A group of people in the caf kept talking about the subject of the war. They were
looking at John. John paid for his coffee and left.
142 Moroccan Arabic
Appendices
Pronunciation of Moroccan Arabic....................................................................................143
Supplementary Grammar Lessons...................................................................................148
More Useful Expressions..................................................................................................157
Moroccan Holidays...........................................................................................................159
Glossary of Verbs.............................................................................................................164
Pronunciation of Moroccan Arabic

Despite what you may think at first, it is indeed possible for you to learn how to
pronounce the sounds of Moroccan Arabic. Learning to pronounce Arabic sounds correctly
entails two things: first, becoming aware of how to make the different sounds and,
second, practicing with a native speaker. This chapter will help you with the first task.
Understanding How Sounds Are Made

Before we move directly into how to pronounce Arabic sounds, lets first understand how
sounds are made in general. Then we can use this knowledge in order to work on Arabic
sounds.
Fricatives and Stops

Make the /s/ sound. Notice how air is being forced through the space between your
tongue and the gum ridge in your mouth. When a sound is produced like this, by forcing
air between some small opening, that sound is called a fricative. Make the /f/ sound.
This sound is also a fricative, because in order to make it we must force air between our
teeth and our bottom lip. Some sounds in English that are fricatives are: /s/, /z/, /sh/,
/th/, /f/, /v/, and others.
Now make the /t/ sound. Here, we are not forcing air through a small opening at a
constant pressure, but rather we completely block the air flow for a moment, and then
release the air stream in one big burst. A sound that is produced by blocking the air flow,
and then releasing it, is called a stop. Make the /k/ sound. This is another stop
because again, you will notice how we build up a lot of pressure with air, and then release
it. Some stops in English are: /t/, /k/, /g/, /b/, /p/, and others.
Voiced and Voiceless Sounds

We can also categorize consonant sounds according to whether we use our voice box or
not. Make the /s/ sound. While making the sound, hold your hand over your throat. Now
make the /z/ sound, still holding your hand to your throat. Youll notice that with /s/, we
dont use our voice box, but with /z/, our voice box vibrates. Sounds like /s/ are called
voiceless, since we dont use our voice box. Sounds like /z/ are called voiced, since our
voice box vibrates. Make the sound /t/. Is it voiceless or voiced? Now make the sound
/d/. Voiceless or voiced?

Lets look now at some of the difficult Arabic sounds, using what we know about sounds in
general.
Pronunciation of Non-English Consonants

The Sound q ()
The q sound is similar to the k sound. Both are voiceless stops that are made by
releasing air forcefully after completely blocking the air flow momentarily. The only
difference is where in the throat the speaker blocks the air flow. The q sound will be
made further back in the throat than the k sound. Try the following exercise.
First, take a minute to become more familiar with your throat muscles. Open your mouth
and say aah, as if you were at the doctors office. Your tongue should be flat in your
mouth. Without raising your tongue, pull it back so that the base of your tongue closes off
air by pulling back against the throat. At this point, you should not be able to breathe
through your mouth, although it is wide open. Practice doing this first without making a
sound. After performing this exercise several times, make a sound by releasing the air
forcefully. The result will be the sound q.
The /t/ sound is voiceless and the /d/ sound is voiced. Both are stops.
144 Moroccan Arabic
The Sound x ()
The sound x is a voiceless fricative formed around the same place as the sound q. It is
found in many European languages: the Russian x, the Scottish pronunciation of loch, and
the German ch as pronounced after a back vowel as in Bach. Some people use this sound
to say yech! To pronounce x, make the sound q and pay attention to where the back of
your tongue hits the back of the roof of your mouth and blocks your windpipe. Instead of
closing off the windpipe with the back of your tongue completely, block it part way, and
you will produce this sound.
The Sound ()
The sound is the same sound as the sound x, except it is voiced. In other words, if
you can make the sound x, all you need to do is vibrate your voice box at the same time,
and you will produce . Think of the correspondence between the sounds k (kite) and g
(game): k is voiceless and g is voiced. Pronounce k and g several times, paying attention
to how your voice changes when you say g. Now say x several times, and then voice it.
The result is .
Alternatively, you may think of as similar to the sound you make when gargling. Gargle
for a minute and pay attention to the muscles you use. The sound is pronounced using
these same muscles in similar fashion.
The Emphatic Sounds s (), d (), and t ()

The sound s is the emphatic counterpart of the sound s. Pronounce the sound s aloud,
and note the position of your tongue. It should be toward the front of the mouth and high,
close to the roof. Now, starting at the back of your teeth, move your tongue back along
the roof of your mouth. You will find a bony ridge just behind the teeth, before the
upward curve of the roof. Put your tongue against this ridge. The rest of your tongue will
drop lower inside your mouth. The emphatic or velarized consonants in Arabic are
pronounced by placing the tip of your tongue in this spot and dropping the rest of the
tongue as low as you can. Thus, the sounds s, d, and t are all made with the tongue in
this position.
All the emphatic sounds are lower in pitch than their non-emphatic counterparts. They
are pronounced with greater muscular tension in the mouth and throat and with a raising
of the back and root of the tongue toward the roof of the mouth. You can notice this
contraction of the throat easily by prolonging the l in full.
One important note about the emphatic sounds: they deepen the sound of surrounding
vowels. Pay attention to the sound of all vowels near these emphatic sounds, because the
quality of the vowels gives the best indication of the presence of emphatic consonants.
One important example is tini, give me in Moroccan Arabic. Most trainees will hear
the word and think it is pronounced tayni, with the middle vowel sound ay instead of i.
This is because the emphatic sound t affects the way the i sounds, making it sound (to
the English speakers ear) like an ay. It is, in fact, an i however.
The Sound ()
The sound is a voiceless fricative pronounced deep in the throat. It has no equivalent in
English. In order to practice this sound, first take a few minutes to become better
acquainted with some of your throat muscles that you use often, but not to speak English.
The following exercises are designed to make you aware of what these muscles can
already do, so that you can use them to speak Arabic. Practice them for a few minutes
every day, as often as you can.
1. With your mouth closed, block off your windpipe at your throat. Put your hand on
your throat at the Adams apple and constrict the muscles on the inside. You
should be able to feel the muscles contracting. Alternately tighten and relax them
for a few minutes.

2. Repeat this with your mouth open. Try to breathe out through your mouthif you
can, you are not closing off the windpipe entirely.
3. Constrict those same muscles so that air can just barely squeeze through your
throat. Imitate someone fogging a pair of glasses to clean them. The sound of the
air coming through your constricted throat muscles is . By now, you should be
aware of what your throat muscles are doing.
4. Bend your head down so that your chin rests on the top of your chest, and repeat
exercise 3. This position should make it easier for you to feel what you are doing.
Pronouncing takes practice, first to pronounce the letter alone, and then to pronounce it
surrounded by other letters in a word. You must learn to pronounce it properly to be
understood, and at first, this will take some concentration on your part. However, the
more you practice now, the sooner you will be able to say it easily.
The Sound ) )
We now come to one of the most distinctive sounds in Arabic: . When pronounced
correctly, has its own unique beauty and can be a very expressive sound. It is not as
difficult to pronounce as one may first think, but you need to exercise your throat
muscles, the same ones that you use to pronounce . You should continually be doing the
exercises you learned above for , in which you constricted your throat muscles as if you
were blocking off the air passage from the inside. You can feel this by putting your hand
on your throat. Say , and feel the muscles contract. Now pronounce the same sound
and voice it. That is, say the say sound while vibrating your voice box, changing the
breathy sound of into the deep, throaty sound of . The sounds and are only
different because is voiceless and is voiced.
Some trainees think that sounds like a vowel, but it is not a vowel. Because we constrict
our throat muscles and force air through the passageway, the sound is a fricative.
Vowels do not force air through a partially blocked passageway, and thus cannot be
fricatives.
The Arabic r ()
The sound r in Arabic is not the same as the English r. It is not difficult, like some of the
other sounds above may seem at first. But because it is new, we include here a short
description of it. The sound is a flap, like the Spanish or Italian r. You already know
how to make this sound: it is the sound American English speakers make saying gotta as
in gotta go. Say gotta several times in a row very quickly and pay attention to what your
tongue is doing. You should feel it flapping against the roof of your mouth behind your
teeth. Now pronounce the sound alone. Another good exercise is to practice making a
whirring sound: rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Do these exercises daily until you have mastered this
sound.
Pronunciation of Shedda
In Arabic, a shedda is a pronounced stress upon a letter in a word. In transcription, this
stress is indicated by a doubling of a consonant (see page 3). When there is shedda, it
indicates that the consonant is to be held twice as long as a normal consonant. That is, it
should be pronounced for twice the length of time. This is easy with fluid sounds like z or
r. With sounds like b or d, however, you must begin to say them and pause in the middle
of pronouncing them for a second. This may take some practice at first.
In English, this doubling of a consonant sound never occurs in the middle of words, but is
very common from the end of one word to the beginning of another. Compare the
difference between the single d in lay down and the double dd in laid down.
Noticing the difference between the single d and double dd in this example will give
you some idea of how a shedda affects pronunciation.
146 Moroccan Arabic

It cannot be stressed enough that shedda affects not only the pronunciation of a
word, but also its meaning, especially for verbs. Recognizing when shedda is used
and learning to pronounce it correctly yourself is an important task in your study of
Moroccan Arabic.
The Definite Article

In English, the definite article is the word the. It is different from the indefinite
articles, which are a and an. In English, the definite article speaks about something
specific: I washed the dog today (you know which dog Im speaking about). The indefinite
articles talk about something non-specific: I saw a dog today (you dont know the dog Im
speaking about).
In Arabic, the definite article is not always used exactly as in English. When written in
Arabic script, it is composed of two letters, al (), attached to the beginning of a noun or
an adjective. Here is the Arabic script for the book:
the definite article
These two letters are always written in Arabic script for a definite article, but they are not
always pronounced. In Moroccan Arabic, the first letter, a (), is never pronounced. Two
possibilities exist, therefore, for pronouncing the definite article. Sometimes, the second
letter, l (), is pronounced. Other times, instead of pronouncing the l (), the first letter of
the word is doubled with a shedda. Whether the definite article is pronounced with l
or by doubling the first letter with shedda is determined by which letter is the first
letter of the word. Lets look at these two different possibilities.
The Moon Letters

In the first possibility, the Arabic definite article is pronounced with an l ( )at the
beginning of a word. All words that begin with the following letters follow this rule:
i/y
u/w
These letters are called moon letters, because the Arabic word for moon, qamar, begins
with one of the letters in the group. Notice in the following examples that the definite
article is pronounced by adding an l to the word:
a book
ktab
a girl
bnt
the book
l-ktab
a boy
wld
the boy
l-wld
the girl
l-bnt
a moon
qamar
the moon
l-qamar
The Sun Letters

In the second possibility, the Arabic definite article is pronounced by doubling the first
letter of a word with a shedda. All words that begin with the following letters follow this
rule:
n
These letters are known as sun letters, because the Arabic word for sun, ms, begins
with one of the letters in the group. Notice in the following examples that the definite
article is pronounced by doubling the first letter of the word by using shedda.
a house
dar
a street
znqa

the house
d-dar
the street
z-znqa
a man
rajl
a sun
ms
the man
r-rajl
the sun
-ms
148 Moroccan Arabic
Supplementary Grammar Lessons

These are lessons you can work on by yourself or with your tutor once you arrive at your
site. It is unlikely you will be able to complete them during stage, unless you already
have some experience with Arabic.
Making Intransitive Verbs into Transitive

Verbs
Intransitive verbs are verbs that do not require a direct object such as:
to come in
dxl
to be afraid
xaf
to go out
xrj
to drink
rb
to laugh
dk
to
understand
fhm
to fall
ta
to go up
tl
to go down
hbt
All these verbs are trilateral (i.e. they are made up of three letters) and they can be made
transitive by doubling their middle consonant (i.e. putting a shedda on it). The new
transitive verb normally has the meaning to make someone do something. Look at how
the meaning changes when the intransitive verb dk to laugh is changed into a
transitive verb:
You are laughing / you
laugh.
kat-dk.
You make me laugh.
kat-dkni.
Here is a list of verbs commonly used in their transitive form:

to make (someone or
something) enter / to bring
in
dxxl
to make (someone or
xrrj
something) exit / to take out
to make (so/sth) laugh
dk
to drop / to throw down (i.e.

to make something fall)
tiy
to frighten (i.e. to make

someone afraid)
xuwf
to water (i.e. to make

something drink)
rrb
to make (someone)
understand / to explain
fhhm
to make go up / to promote /
tll
to take up
to bring down / to demote
hbbt

Some examples:
I brought in a dog to the
house but my father took it
out.
dxxlt wad l-klb l d-dar

welakin bba xrrju.
The clown makes small kids

laugh.
l-klun kay-dk d-drari

s-sar.
Take this table out of here,

please.
xrrj afak had t-tbla mn hna.
Passive Verbs
Transitive verbs can be made passive by adding t ( )to them, as shown below:
to write
ktb
to be written (masc.)
tktb
to be written (fem.)
tktbat
to be written (plur.)
tktbu
to understand
fhm
to be understood (masc.)
tfhm
to be understood (fem.)
tfhmat
to be understood (plur.)
tfhmu
to buy
ra
to be bought (masc.)
tra
to be bought (fem.)
trat
to be bought (plur.)
trau
to steal
srq
to be stolen (masc.)
tsrq
to be stolen (fem.)
tsrqat
to be stolen (plur.)
tsrqu
Some examples:
Ali ate pizza.
li kla l-pitza.
The pizza was eaten.
tklat l-pitza.
The teacher wrote the

lesson.
l-ustad ktb d-drs.
The lesson was written.
d-drs tktb.
The students understood the

t-tlamd fhmu l-luz.
riddle.
The riddle was understood.
l-luz tfhm.
Laila bought some clothes.
layla rat l-wayj.
Some clothes were bought.
l-wayj trau.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
Exercise:Put the sentences below in the passive form.

1. lssq t-tswira f l-it.
2. ba u l-fllaa l-msul dyalhum.
3. sbnat Jamila l-wayj.
1.
.
.
2.
3.
.
150 Moroccan Arabic

4. hrrs Peter l-kisan.
4. .
5.
.
5. smma Aziz bntu Ibtisam.

6. sm t s-sda l-bar.
6. .
7. jlat Lupe l-purtabl.

8. jrat Jill sb ha b l-mus.
7. .
8. .
9. tat Aicha l-kadu l Malika.
9.
.
10.
.
10. kra i wad had d -d ar.
The Past Progressive

The Moroccan Arabic equivalent for the English past progressive (was doing, were doing)
is the past of kan ( )to be followed by the present tense. For example:
He was talking.
kan kay-tkllm.
He wasnt talking.
ma-kan- kay-tkllm.
You were talking.
knti kat-tkllm.
I wasnt working
ma-knt- kan-xdm.
She was writing.
kant kat-ktb.
This construction can also be translated as used to. For example:

I used to sell cars.
knt kan-bi t-tumubilat.
Whether a given occurrence of this construction is to be translated as past progressive or

used to depends upon the context.
I used to travel a lot.
knt kan-safr bzzaf.
When I was in Essaouira, I

used to eat fish every day.
mlli knt f s-swira, knt

kan-akul l-ut kul nhar.
I was watching TV when

someone knocked at the
door.
knt kan-tfrrj f t-tlfaza mlli

dqq i wad f l-bab.
I used to work in this school. knt kan-xdm f had l-mdrasa.

I used to run every morning. knt kan-jri kul sba.
I used to smoke a lot but I
quit smoking (dont smoke
anymore).
knt kan-kmi bzzaf, welakin

ma-bqit- kan-kmi.

.
.

.

.

mlli ana (kan / qra) f j-jami a f mirikan,
(kan / skn) m a wad l-a'ila mirikaniya.
l-a'ila m a mn (kan / skn), ndha juj d
l-bnat (kan / qra) m aya f j-jami a. wda
mnhum (kan / t llm) l-rbiya l-fusa, u ana
(kan / raj )m aha d-durus dyalha. l-ustad
l-li (kan / qrra) l-rbiya l-fusa f dik j-jami a
smitu d-duktur Jawad. huwa msri welakin
dar jinsiya mirikaniya.
/ )

( / )
).
(
( / )( /
( / ).

.
( / )
( / )
The Verb to remain

The verb bqa ( )to remain is followed by the present tense or by the active participle
(see section below) when it corresponds to the English kept doing something. Some
examples:
She kept waiting for them.
bqat kat-tsnnahum.
He kept on searching in the

well until he got tired.
bqa kay-qllb f l-bir tta ya.
He kept going (habitually).
bqa kay-mi.

.

.
He kept going (continued on

bqa mai.
his way, on one occasion).
When negated, bqa ( )in verb phrases is equivalent to no longer, not anymore, with
either past or present meaning. For example:
He didnt (doesnt) laugh at
them anymore.
ma-bqa- kay-dk lihum.
The active participle baqi preceding the present tense is equivalent to the English still.
Hes still working with us.
huwa baqi kay-xdm m ana.
Verb Participles
Verb participles are adjectives derived from verbs. They agree in gender and number,
like all adjectives, but not in person (I, you, he) or tense (past, present). Transitive verbs
have two participles, an active and a passive participle. Intransitive verbs have only an
active participle.
The Active Participle

Verb Stem
Active Participle
to write
ktb
having
written
katb(a)
))
to open
ll
having
opened
all(a)
)
)
to sell
ba
having sold
bay (a)
))
to buy
ra
having
bought
ari(a)
))
Some examples:
He had written he lessons.
She had sold her house.
kan katb d-durus dyalu.

kant bay a d-dar dyalha.
I found him standing at the

door.
lqitu waqf f l-bab.
He is wearing a new shirt

today.
huwa labs qamija jdida.
I saw her wearing a green

coat.
ftha labsa kbbut xdr.
Everyday I see him walking

on this street.
kul nhar kan-ufu mai f had

z-znqa.

.
.
.
.
.

152 Moroccan Arabic

For a small group of verbs, the active participle must be used in order to express a current
(i.e. progressive) activity. For these verbs, the present tense expresses only a habitual
activity
Verb Stem
Active Participle
to sit / stay
gls
sitting
gals
to wear
lbs
wearing
labs
to sleep
n s
sleeping
na s
to leave / exit xrj
leaving
xarj
to enter
dxl
entering
daxl
to return
rj
returning
raj
to stand
wqf
standing
waqf
to travel
safr
traveling
msafr
to rent
kra
renting
kari
to regret
ndm
regretting
nadm
to be quiet
skt
being quiet
sakt
to be afraid
xaf
being afraid
xayf
to spend the
night
bat
spending the
night
bayt
Some examples:
He wears a green shirt every
kay-lbs qamija xdra kul
day. (habitual present
nhar.
tense)
He is wearing a green shirt.
(now participle)
huwa labs qamija xdra.
She goes to sleep at 10:00.

(habitual present tense)
kat-n s f 10:00.
She is sleeping.
(now participle)
hiya na sa.

.

.
.
10:00

.
Passive Participle
Verb Stem
Passive Participle
to write
ktb
(having
mktub(a)
been) written
))
to open
ll
(having
mlul(a)
been) opened
))
to sell
ba
(having
been) sold
to buy
ra
to make
(manufacture sn
)
mbiu (a)
))
(having
mri(a)
been) bought
))
(having
been) made /
msnu (a)
manufacture
d
))

Some examples:
This tray is made of silver.
These boxes have
something written on them.
This letter is written; I need
only a stamp to send it.
Go to my room, the door is
open.
had s-siniya msnu a mn

l-fdda.
had snadq mktub lihum i
l-aja.
had l-bra mktuba, xssni ir ttanbr ba n-siftha.
sir l l-bit dyali rah l-bab mlul.
Intransitive Verbs with Only One Participle

Verb Stem
Participle
to garnish
xddr
having garnished
having been
garnished
mxddr(a)
)
)
to cover
tta
having covered
having been covered
mtti(a)
)
)
to travel
safr
having traveled
having been traveled
msafr(a)
))
to rest
rta
having rested
having been rested
mrta(a)
))
to go flat
tf
having gone flat

mfu(a)
having been gone flat
))
to hide
xbba
having hidden
having been hidden
mxbbi(a)
))
Some examples:
She is traveling now
because she is on vacation.
hiya msafra daba it ndha

utla.
Im relaxed since I finished

my work.
ana mrta mlli kmmlt

l-xdma dyali.
The tajine is garnished with

prunes and almonds.
t-tajin mxddr b l-brquq u

l-luz.
He is covered with a blanket huwa mtti b l-kaa it jah

because he is cold.
l-brd.
She was hidden behind the
door.
kant mxbbya mur l-bab.

.

.

.
.
Exercise:In the sentences below, supply the proper form of the

participle of the verb written in parentheses.
1. Aicha (safr) l fransa.
2. kant Sara (ll) l-bab.
3. d-dar dyal sn (ba )
4. kant Layla (ma) s-suq.
5. la xlliti s-srjm (ll).
6. l-bar mlli jit kant xti (n s).
1. )( .
).
2. (
3. ) )
4. )( .
) ).
5.
6. ) ).
154 Moroccan Arabic

7. l-qamija dyali (wssx).
7.
).
)
8. (
)
8. we (sdd) l-bab dyal l-kuzina?

9. kant Su ad (ab) l-bar.
9. )(
.
10. (
).
11. )(
.
10. tiybt d-djaj (mmr) b l-luz.

11. had l-kas (sn )f fransa.
12. we kant Erika (gls) f d-dar?
13. had l-ktab (trjm) mn l-rbiya l
n-ngliziya.
14. ana (rf) blli djun (rj )
l-mrib.
12. )(
13. )(
.
14.
)( )( .
Conjunctions
either ... or
imma ... wlla
Either send a letter or call

me.
imma sift liya bra wlla iyt

liya f t-tilifun.
in order to
ba
I am learning Arabic in order kan-t llm l-rbiya ba

to talk to people.
n-tkllm m a n-nas.
...

.
if
we
I want to know if you read

this book.
bit n-rf we qriti had

l-ktab.
when / since
mlli / mnin
When I came to Rabat I took

the train.
mlli / mnin jit l r-rbat ddit

t-tran.
/
.
I have been sick since I

came to Rabat.
mlli jit l r-rbat u ana mrida.
who / whom / which / that
l-li
The man who is sitting at

that table is my friend.
r-rajl l-li gals f dik t-tbla

sabi.
The book that I read is

important.
l-ktab l-li qrit muhimm.
until
tta
I wont sleep until I finish

this book.
ma-adi- n-n s tta

n-kmml had l-ktab.
as soon as
ir
As soon as I finished my
work I went out.
ir kmmlt l-xdma dyali u

xrjt.
whenever
wqt mma
Whenever I am upset I cry.
wqt mma tqllqt kan-bki.
although / even though
waxxa
Although John is not a

Muslim he fasts.
waxxa John mai muslim

kay-sum.
but
welakin

I want to help you but I
cant.
bit n-awnk welakin

ma-qddit-.
before
qbl ma
), even if the past is

This conjunction requires the present tense without the prefix ka (
referred to.
I always read before I sleep.
dima kan-qra qbl ma n-n s.
after
b d ma
In sentences having this conjunction, the verb of the subsequent phrase has to be in the
same tense as the first one.
After I went home, I
showered.
b d ma mit l d-dar, duwt.
that
blli
I knew that you werent

there.
rft blli ma-knti-.
since / when / because
it
Since you had a lot of work,

why did you go to the
cinema?
it ndk l-xdma bzzaf la

miti l s-sinima?
When I was in Marrakech I

went to the Menara.
it knt f Marrakech mit l

l-Menara.
I went to the doctor because

mit l t-tbib it knt mrid.
I was sick.
because
laqqa
He didnt go to school
because he didnt wake up
early.
ma-ma- l l-mdrasa
laqqa ma-faq- bkri.
without
bla ma
They talked without

thinking.
hdru bla ma y-fkru.
wherever
fin mma
Wherever there is water

there is life.
fin mma kayn l-ma, kayna

l-ayat.
then
ad
I ate then slept.
klit ad n st.

.

.
Exercise:Fill in the blanks with the appropriate conjunction

from the list.
ba
it
mlli
laqq
a
1. ma-adi- n-safr ____ t-ji.
ad
tta
blli
we bla ma
l-li
welaki
n
qbl
1. ____ .
156 Moroccan Arabic
2. xssk t-rfi ____ tta i aja masiba.

3. bit n-duw ____ n-rta.
4. bau y-rfu ____ kayna i mdrasa hna.
5. d-dwa ____ st mlt mzyan.
6. ____ kant mrida mat l nd t-tbib.
7. bat t-ufu ____ ma-ndha- l-wqt.
8. fkkr ____ jawb.
9. l-mdina ____ knt sakn fiha kbira.
10. ktbt bra ____ n st.
11. kay-akul ____ y-sl yddih ____
kay-akul b l-frita.
12. ma-safrat- ____ ma-ndha- l-flus.
2. ____

.
3. ____ .
4. ____ .
5. ____ .
6. ____ .
7. ____ .
.
8. ____
9. ____ .
10. ____ .

____

11.
____
.
12. ____ .
More Useful Expressions

You were given some useful expressions on pages 19 to 21. Here are more expressions,
including many God phrases.
God Phrases
May God bless your parents.
(used often when asking for a
service / information or to express
gratitude to someone)
Our parents and yours. (a

response to the above)
May God cure you. (used to

show sympathy toward a sick
person)
May God not show you any

harm. (a response to the above)
lla y-rm l-walidin.
walidina u walidik.
lla y-afi.
lhla y-wrrik bas.
May God magnify the good

deeds. (used to offer condolences ajarakum llah.
for someones death)
May God make your child a

good person. (used to
complement a parent on his/her
child)
lla y-sl.
.
.

.

(used when saying goodbye to a
friend or congratulating him/her on
a job well done)

(response to the above)
I swear to God. (expresses that

what you said was true)
Used to express excuse me when
someone does something for you,
such as: hands you socks or shoes,
pours water over your hands to
wash them, etc. It is also used
when the speaker mentions words
like donkey or trash.
May God grant you pride

and honor. (used as a response
tbark llah lik.

lla y-bark fik.
ullah.
aak.
zzk llah.
.
.
.
to the above)
Used on the arrival of

somebody after a trip.
la slamtk.
Response to the above.
lla y-sllmk.
May God make your life

easier. (said to beggars)
lla y-shl.
Other Expressions
Would you please help me?
we ymkn lik t-awnni?
If you dont mind.
ila jat la xatrk.
158 Moroccan Arabic

It is my pleasure.
la r-ras u l-in.
Youre welcome.
la ukran la wajib.
God forgives.
lla y-sam.
It is all right. (no harm done) i bas ma kayn.
.
.

.
.
There is no harm. (response

to apology)
ma fiha bas.
Thats fine.
d-dnya hanya.
Im going on ...
adi n-mi nhar...
...
and Ill be back on ...
u adi n-rj nhar...
...
Really ?/!
bss ?/!
Its shameful.
uma
Shame on you.
uma lik.
Its none of your business.
mai lk.
Hurry up.
srbi / dya / tlq rask.
You are right.
ndk l-qq.
I agree with you.
ana mttafq m ak.
Watch out!
ndak!
Move aside.
balak.
How do we say ... in Arabic?
kifa kan-gulu ... b l-rbiya.
Is there another word?
we kayna i klma xura?
Is there an easy word?
we kayna i klma sahla?
.
.

/!
/ / .
.
.
!
.
.
...
Moroccan Holidays
Holidays in Morocco are extremely important and festive occasions. Women and girls
have henna parties and come out of their houses to celebrate. Visitors are entertained
and gifts are exchanged among friends. Particular religious rites are performed. Special
sweets and foods are washed down by glass after glass of mint tea as everyone gets
caught up in the socializing and celebrating.
Religious Holidays
There are both religious and civil holidays in Morocco. The Gregorian calendar, based
on solar computation, is used for civil purposes. This is the calendar Westerners generally
use.
The Islamic calendar, based on lunar computation, divides the year into twelve months
which reoccur in varying relationship to the Gregorian year and complete their cycle every
thirty years of 355 days. These thirty-year cycles consist of nineteen years of 354 days
and eleven years of 355 days. Thus, the Islamic calendar gains 10 to 11 days a year on
the Gregorian year.
This calendar is called the Hegiran calendar because its starting point was the hegira,
when Mohamed fled from Mecca in 622 of the Gregorian calendar. This calendar is used
for religious purposes in Morocco.
1st
Transcription
Name
muarram
2nd
safar
Month
Arabic
Festivals
th

10 of the month: aura
rd
rabi l-luwl
4th
rabi t-tani
5th
jumada l-luwla
th
12 of the month: id l-mulud

jumada t-tanya
th
7th
8
th
9th
rajab
a ban
ramadan
10
th
uwal
11
th
du l-qi da
12
th
du l-ijja

15th of the month: bana

st
1 of the month: l-id s-sir

10th of the month: l-id l-kbir

Here are descriptions of the major festivals:
aura
muarram, the first month of the Islamic year, is in Morocco called hr aura, the
month of the aura. It has derived this name from the feast on the tenth day of the
month. This day, called nhar aura is the Islamic New Years Day. It is said that Allah
created Adam and Eve, heaven and hell, and life and death on the 10th.
The month of aura is rich in magical qualities. The ninth and particularly the tenth
day are blessed days, and on the latter, many sacred or wonderful events are said to have
taken place in the past. In Morocco, baraka is also generally ascribed to those days.
Magic, good, or evil is extensively practiced on the aura day and on the preceding
160 Moroccan Arabic

night which is said to favor witches. People gather and many wear masks and costumes
and speak in disguised voices on the night before the aura. It is believed that magic
practiced at this time of year will produce an effect which lasts for the whole year.
Good food has a place in the rejoicing of aura, in accordance with the traditional
saying of the Prophet, Who give the plenty to his household on the aura day, God will
bestow plenty upon him throughout the remainder of the year. Cow, bullock, goat,
sheep, dried dates, and eggs are fixed according to local custom. Visits to the graves of
relatives and alms-giving are common at this time.
Of great interest are the fire and water rites practiced at aura, to which purificatory
and other beneficial effects are ascribed. On aura eve, the bonfire night fires are built
throughout the town and the people sing and dance around them. The chief object of the
rite is to purify men and animals or to protect them from evil influences, since there is
baraka (blessings) from those fires.
Similar effects are attributed to the water rites which even more frequently are
practiced on the following morning. It is a general belief that there is baraka in all water
on this morning. To take a bath on the morning of the aura day is a very wide-spread
custom, and in many cases it was expressly said that it must be done before sunrise.
Children are traditionally involved in this festival. They dress-up, play small drums, and
are given gifts during this holiday.
id l-mulud
In Morocco, the third month of the Islamic year is called hr l-mulud, the month of the
mulud. These names are given because of the feast celebrating the birth of the Prophet
which commences on the twelfth day of the month and lasts for several days. The mulud
is a particularly blessed month and all children born during it are considered fortunate.
The Prophets Birthday has more significance in Morocco because Morocco is a
Kingdom rather than a republic, and King Mohamed VI is a descendant of the Prophet. The
anniversary is brilliantly celebrated at the Imperial Palace in Rabat and in the evening in
Sale a great procession of candles takes place.
In Meknes the Aissaoua brotherhood has its own unique celebration worth seeing.
Followers of the holy man, l-hadi Ben Aissa throng to Meknes and play music, dance,
celebrate and make what is called the small pilgrimage to nearby saints tombs.
bana
The eighth month of the Moroccan year is called ban. On the fifteenth day a festival
known as bana takes place. According to legend, this is the day that Allah registers all
the actions of mankind which they are to perform during the year and all the children of
men who are to be born and die in the year.
Traditionally, barren women gather in homes in the neighborhood and cook a couscous
meal with special spices. This meal is eaten by the women and children at home or in the
mosque. The barren women in the group hope this will help them to give birth during the
upcoming year.
bana is also the month before the month of fasting, Ramadan. People think of the
difficult month ahead and have a feast. Craftsmen guilds often have parties on this night
involving music and feasting.
laylatu l-qadr
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic year. The most important feature of
Ramadan is the complete abstinence from food, drink and sexual activity from daybreak

to sunset. Every Muslim who has reached the age of puberty must fast. Pregnant women,
menstruating women, travelers, and those who are ill are exempt from fasting, but should
make it up at a later date.
According Islam, there is one night in Ramadan which is more important than any
other, namely, laylatu l-qadr, the night of power. The Koran is said to have been sent
down to the Prophet on that night. This night is one of the last ten nights of Ramadan, but
its exact date has not been discovered by anyone but the Prophet himself. Tradition fixes
it to be one of the odd nightsthe 21 st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, or 29thand in Morocco it is
celebrated on the 27th day.
On the night of the 27th, the men go to the mosque to pray. From sundown to
daybreak, the imam (the prayer leader) reads the Koran. The complete Koran is read
before the sun rises. It is believed by some that the sky will open up during this night and
wishes will ascend directly to Allah and be granted. During the night, special meals of
couscous are prepared and brought to the mosques. Those unable to go to the mosque
eat specially prepared meals at home. Each family gives part of the meal to the poor.
l-id s-sir
Immediately following Ramadan is l-id s-sir, or the little feast. Everyone stays up
very late hoping to hear the announcement that the new moon has been sighted and
Ramadan and fasting are over. When it has officially been sighted, a three-day festival
ensues in which alms-giving plays a major role. The alms usually consist of food items like
wheat or barley, and each family does the best it can. The chief religious rite of the feast
is a prayer service at the mosque.
l-id l-kbir
On the tenth day of the month du l-ijja, the last month of the year, the Islamic world
celebrates its yearly sacrificial feast. In Morocco it is known as l-id l-kbir or the great
feast. This is the central feast in Islam, comparable to and derived from the feast of the
atonement, Abrahams substitute sacrifice, for the remission of sins. Hence, the animal
sacrificed must be mature and without blemish.
Every family must have its own sheep just as Americans need turkeys for the proper
celebration of Thanksgiving. Those who cannot afford a sheep buy a lamb or another less
expensive animal. In Morocco, the animal cannot be slain until the King has killed his
sheep. Then in each household, the head of the family kills the sheep (sometimes a
butcher is asked to come to the house and perform the ritual). The sheep is eaten in an
orderly fashion determined by local custom. For example, on the first day, the liver, heart,
stomach, and lungs are eaten. On the second day, normally the head and feet are eaten.
However, the head and feet can be eaten on the first day if that is the local custom. There
are purification and sanctification customs and rites that prepare the people for the holy
feast and its principal feature, the sacrifice. People must purify and sanctify themselves in
order to benefit from the holy feast and its sacrifice. Personal cleanliness should be
observed. Men and boys visit the barber and often make a trip to the hammam as well.
Henna is used not merely as a cosmetic, but as a means of protection against evil
influences. Women paint their hands with it and, in many cases, also their feet. Among
some ethnic groups, henna is also applied to domestic animals.
Alms-giving and prayer are two other purification rites practiced during the great feast.
Gifts are exchanged between family members and a portion of the meal is given to the
poor. The day begins with prayer. The chief praying ceremony takes place in the morning
at the mosque.
162 Moroccan Arabic
Moussems
Many Moroccan communities commemorate local saints, or marabous, in a yearly
festival or moussem. Most moussems are held near the tomb of the marabou and
involve music, dancing and fantasia. For a very famous marabous moussem, people will
come from very far away. Some very famous moussems celebrate Moulay Bouchaib (near
El Jadida), Moulay Brahim (near Marrakech), Moulay Ya qub (Fes), and Moulay Idriss
(Moulay Idriss). Many towns have their own moussems known only to those in the region.
National Holidays
In addition to the religious holidays, some important civil holidays commemorating
significant events in Moroccos recent history are celebrated. The most important of these
are Independence Day, the Throne feast, Green March Day, and King Mohameds
birthday.
The Festival of the Throne, or id l-r, is the biggest of the civil holidays. This festival
commemorates the coming to power of the King on July 30, 1999. Celebrations including
parades with nationalistic anthems, usually occur in the cities with local government
officials, like the governor, making appearances. Traditionally during this holiday, country
people come to visit their city relatives, who are expected to feed and house them for the
duration of the festival. There is often a special emphasis on improving the appearance of
the town prior to this holiday. City employees clean streets and paint walls, and
townspeople are sometimes required by government officials to paint their doors,
whitewash their houses, and display flags.
Green March Day is also celebrated by large parades in most of Morocco. This day
commemorates one of the greatest achievements of King Hassan II: the mobilization of
350,000 Moroccans for the march into the Sahara territory. On November 6, 1975, the
first Moroccan marchers, under the leadership of the then Prime Minister Ahmed Osman,
set out from Tarfaya and entered the Spanish territory. During the celebration, those who
went on the actual march once again dress up in green and re-enact the march.
Independence Day, or id l-istiqlal, commemorates the November 18, 1956 return of
Mohamed V from his French-imposed exile in Madagascar. This day gives rise to
receptions at the Imperial Palace and parades and celebrations all over Morocco.
The last of these major national holidays celebrates the Kings Birthday, August 21,
1962. There are many organized celebrations in Rabat and broadcasts on the radio
praising the King.
Regional Festivals
There are also many regional festivals which are centered around a particular product
in which a region specializes. The product is displayed and sold; music and other activities
take place in an atmosphere similar to a country fair.
Some famous regional festivals are the Cherry Festival in Sefrou, the Date Festival in
Erfoud, the Rose Festival in El-Kelaa MGouna (near Ouarzazate), the Marrakech Folklore
and Music Festival, and the Immouzer Honey Festival (near Agadir).
One of the most interesting festivals in Morocco is the re-enactment of an ancient
market in the High Atlas mountains. At one time, these very isolated High Atlas tribes
would gather yearly at a specific point near Imilchil where many mountain paths met for
the yearly market. Provisions for many months were bought and sold and at one time
one of the reasons for coming was to acquire a bride. Men would meet a girl for the first
time and pay her dowry then take her home. Some say this practice still exists and others
say it is just a re-enactment for tourists, but in any case, it is a large market where many
Berbers still buy many of the coming years provisions.

Religious, civil, and regional festivals are an excellent chance to get out and see
interesting things, meet people on an informal basis, and have fun. Dates of these
celebrations can be obtained from the national tourist office branches in many cities, but
people in your community will usually provide you with the information about your region.
It should be noted that the same festival may be celebrated somewhat differently in
various sections of the country. For example, in Errachidia Province, a far greater
emphasis is put on Green March Day than in other sections of Morocco because that
province provided the first contingent for the march.
Be sure to check out the expectations of your community for a particular holiday,
particularly in terms of visitation, entertaining, gift-giving, and participation, so you can
get as involved as possible and enjoy the holidays.
164 Moroccan Arabic
Glossary of Verbs
This glossary provides both the present tense and past tense conjugations for the subject
I, making it possible for you to determine how to conjugate irregular verbs.
First Person
Present Tense
kan-ib
First Person
Past Tense
bt
qdr
kan-qdr
qdrt
rb
kan-rb
rbt
sqqt
kan-sqqt
sqqtt
qbl
kan-qbl
qblt
accomplish
qqeq
kan-qqeq
qqeqt
accuse
ttahm
kan-ttahm
ttahmt
accustom
t uwd
kan-t uwd
t uwdt
wllf
kan-wllf
wllft
wj
kan-wj
wj t
drr
kan-drr
drrit
tarf b
kan-tarf
tarft
t arf m a
kan-t arf
t arft
t rrf m a
kan-t rrf
t rrft
zad
kan-zid
zdt
adopt (a child, an
idea)
tbnna
kan-tbnna
tbnnit
advance
tqddm
kan-tqddm
tqddmt
advise
ns
kan-ns
nst
affect
attr la
kan-attr
attrt
xaf (mn)
) )
kan-xaf
xft
age (get old)
rf
kan-rf
rft
agree (with)
ttafq (m a)
) )
kan-ttafq
ttafqt
nt
kan-nt
ntt
dk
kan-dk
dkt
kan-llel
llelt
English
Transcription
Arabic
absent, to be
ab
able, to be
absorb
abort (a fetus)
accept
ache
acknowledge
acquaint with,
become acquainted
with, sth/sb
add
afraid (of), to be
amuse
analyze
llel
angry, to be
tqllq
kan-tqllq
tqllqt
annoy
sdd
kan-sdd
sdd t
answer
jawb
kan-jawb
jawbt
appear
ban
kan-ban
bnt
applaud
sffq
kan-sffq
sffqt
apply (a rule, an idea)
tbbq
kan-tbbq
tbbqt

First Person
Present Tense
kan-qddm
First Person
Past Tense
qddmt
kan-iyn
iynt
kan-qrrb
qrrbt
txasm (m a)
) )
kan-txasm
txasmt
arrange
rttb
kan-rttb
rttbt
arrest sb
dd
kan-dd
ddit
bs
kan-bs
bst
qbt la
kan-qbt
qbtt
arrive
wsl
kan-wsl
wslt
arrive, to make
wssl
kan-wssl
wsslt
kan-tl
tl t
kan-suwl
suwlt
kan-xtb
xtbt
kan-rkkb
rkkbt
English
apply for (a job)
appoint
approach
argue (with)
ascend
ask
Transcription
Arabic
qddm talab
iyn
qrrb mn
tl
ask (in marriage)
xtb
assemble (parts)
rkkb
hjm la
kan-hjm
hjmt
attempt
awl
kan-awl
awlt
attend
dr f
kan-dr
drt
rdd l-bal
kan-rdd l-bal
rddit l-bal
da rasu
kan-d i rasi
d it rasi
avoid
tjnnb
kan-tjnnb
tjnnbt
banter
tflla
kan-tflla
tfllit
bargain
tttr
kan-tttr
tttrt
bark
nb
kan-nb
nbt
bathe
sl
kan-sl
slt
tmmem
kan-tmmem
tmmemt
kan-kun
knt
attack
attention, pay
suwl
be
kan
beat (drum)
tbbl
kan-tbbl
tbblt
beat sb (in a game)
lb
kan-lb
lbt
become
wlla
kan-wlli
wllit
become accustomed
wllf
kan-wllf
wllft
tsab m a
kan-tsab
tsabt
rb
kan-rb
rbt
tlb
kan-tlb
tlbt
bda
kan-bda
bdit
belch/burp
tgrr
kan-tgrr
tgrr t
believe sb
tiyq
kan-tiyq
tiyqt
believe (in)
amn (b)
) )
kan-amn
amnt
befriend
beg
begin
166 Moroccan Arabic

First Person
Present Tense
kan-stafd
First Person
Past Tense
stafdt
kan-xun
xnt
kbbr
kan-kbbr
kbbrt
birth, to give
wld
kan-wld
wldt
bite
dd
kan-dd
ddit
blow up (with air)
nfx
kan-nfx
nfxt
blow up (explode)
frg
kan-frg
frg t
boil
lla
kan-lli
llit
born, to be
tzad
kan-tzad
tzadt
borrow
tsllf
kan-tsllf
tsllft
bow
dr
kan-dr
drt
break
hrrs
kan-hrrs
hrrst
broken, to be
thrrs
kan-thrrs
thrrst
break down
(machine)
txssr
kan-txssr
txssrt
breathe
tnffs
kan-tnffs
tnffst
jab
kan-jib
jbt
brush (hair)
mt
kan-mt
mtt
build
bna
kan-bni
bnit
burn
rq
kan-rq
rqt
burnt, to be
trq
kan-trq
trqt
burst (pipe)
tfrg
kan-tfrg
tfrg t
bury
dfn
kan-dfn
dfnt
buy
ra
kan-ri
rit
call
iyt l/la
kan-iyt
iytt
drb t tilifun
kan-drb
drbt
iyt l
kan-iyt
iytt
thnna
kan-thnna
thnnit
qdr
kan-qdr
qdrt
xiym
kan-xiym
xiymt
qbt
kan-qbt
qbtt
thla f
kan-thla
thlat
carry
hzz
kan-hzz
hzzit
carve (wood)
nq
kan-nq
nqt
cash
srrf
kan-srrf
srrft
catch
dd
kan-dd
ddit
English
Transcription
Arabic
stafd (mn)
) )
betray
xan
bigger, to make
benefit (from)
bring
call on the phone

calm, to be (to not
worry)
can
camp
capture
care of, to take

First Person
Present Tense
kan-qbt
First Person
Past Tense
qbtt
kan-xlt
xltt
lq la
kan-lq
lqt
sbbeb
kan-sbbeb
sbbebt
tsbbeb f
kan-tsbbeb
tsbbebt
tafl b
kan-tafl
taflt
censor (prices, film)
raqb
kan-raqb
raqbt
change
bddl
kan-bddl
bddlt
change (money)
srrf
kan-srrf
srrft
kan-tbddl
tbddlt
kan-tkllf
tkllft
kan-
it
kan-nql
nqlt
English
catch up (with)
cause
celebrate
Transcription
Arabic
qbt
xlt la
change (weather)
tbddl
charge of, to be in
tkllf b
cheat
cheat (exam)
nql
cheat out of
mt
kan-mt
mtt
chew
md
kan-md
mdt
xtar
kan-xtar
xtarit
churn
mxd
kan-mxd
mxdt
clap
sffq
kan-sffq
sffqt
clarify
kan-r
rt
wdd
kan-wdd
wddt
clean
nqqa
kan-nqqi
nqqit
clean (pipes)
srr
kan-srr
srrt
climb
tl
kan-tl
tl t
clog
xnq
kan-xnq
xnqt
close
sdd
kan-sdd
sddit
mmd
kan-mmd
mmdt
kan-brrd
brrdt
choose
close eyes
cold, to make
brrd
collapse
rab
kan-rib
rbt
collect
jm
kan-jm
jm t
come
ja
kan-ji
jit
kan-llq
llqt
kan-qarn
qarnt
kan-tkka
tkkit
comment
llq
compare
qarn bin
complain about
tkka mn
complain to
tkka la
kan-tkka
tkkit
complete
kmml
kan-kmml
kmmlt
concentrate
rkkz
hmm
kan-rkkz
kay-hmm
rkkzt
hmm
concern
168 Moroccan Arabic

First Person
Present Tense
First Person
Past Tense
English
Transcription
Arabic
concerned with, to be
httm b
kan-httm
httmt
confess
tarf
kan-tarf
tarft
confuse
iyr
kan-iyr
iyrt
confused, to be
ar
kan-ir
rt
hnna
kan-hnni
hnnit
conjugate
srrf
kan-srrf
srrft
connect
rbt
kan-rbt
rbtt
tawr (m a)
) )
kan-tawr
tawrt
tasl b
kan-tasl
taslt
content with, to be
(give your blessing
to)
rda la
kan-rdi
rdit
continue in sth
stamr f
kan-stamr
stamrt
continue studies
tab
kan-tab
tab t
contribute
sahm
kan-sahm
sahmt
tkkm f
kan-tkkm
tkkmt
raqb
kan-raqb
raqbt
tiyb
kan-tiyb
tiybt
t awn (m a)
kan-t awn
t awnt
kan-sllk
sllkt
congratulate
consult (with)
contact
control
cook
cooperate (with)
cope
sllk
) )
copy (by hand)
nql
kan-nql
nqlt
copy (photocopy)
nsx
kan-nsx
nsxt
se
kan-se
set
cost
swa
kan-swa
swit
cough
kan-k
kit
kb
kan-kb
kbt
count
sb
kan-sb
sbt
cram into
xa
kan-xi
xit
crazy, to be
mq
kan-mq
mqt
mmq
kan-mmq
mmqt
kan-xlq
xlqt
correct
crazy, to make
create
xlq
cross (road)
qt
kan-qt
qtt
cross-breed
lqqm
kan-lqqm
lqqmt
cry
bka
kan-bki
bkit
cry, to make
bkka
kan-bkki
bkkit
cure
dawa
kan-dawi
dawit
bra
kan-bra
brit
cured, to be
English
cut
cut (hair)
Transcription
Arabic
qt
ssn
First Person
Present Tense
kan-qt
First Person
Past Tense
qtt
kan-ssn
ssnt
kan-jr
jrt
cut/injure (skin)
jr
cut/injured, to be
tjr
kan-tjr
tjrt
cut( a pattern from

cloth)
fssl
kan-fssl
fsslt
damage
xssr
kan-xssr
xssrt
dampen
fzzg
kan-fzzg
fzzgt
damp, to get
fzg
kan-fzg
fzgt
kan-t
tt
smmk
kan-smmk
smmkt
kan-t aml
t amlt
kan-qrrer
qrrert
kan-ln
lnt
dance
deafen
deal with sb
t aml m a
decide
qrrer
declare
ln
decrease
nqs
kan-nqs
nqst
dedicate
hda
kan-hdi
hdit
defeat
lb
kan-lb
lbt
defend
daf la
kan-daf
daf t
define
dded
kan-dded
ddedt
defy
tdda
kan-tdda
tddit
delay
ttl
kan-ttl
ttlt
deprive
rm
kan-rm
rmt
descend
hbt
kan-hbt
hbtt
nzl
kan-nzl
nzlt
describe
wsf
kan-wsf
wsft
deserve
staq
kan-staq
staqt
design
xttet
kan-xttet
xttett
mat la
kan-mut
mtt
destroy
hddm
kan-hddm
hddmt
develop
tuwr
kan-tuwr
tuwrt
develop (film)
xrrj
kan-xrrj
xrrjt
die
mat
kan-mut
mtt
xtalf (m a)
) )
kan-xtalf
xtalft
fr
kan-fr
frt
hdm
kan-hdm
hdmt
t a
kan-t a
t it
wjjh
kan-wjjh
wjjht
desire strongly
differ (from)
dig
digest
dinner, to have
direct
170 Moroccan Arabic
English
direct (as an order)
dirty, to make
dirty, to get
First Person
Present Tense
kan-amr
First Person
Past Tense
amrt
kan-wssx
wssxt
kan-tussx
tussxt
kan-br
brt
Transcription
Arabic
amr
wssx
tussx
disappear
br
discipline
addb
kan-addb
addbt
rbba
kan-rbbi
rbbit
discover
ktaf
kan-ktaf
ktaft
discuss (a topic)
naq
kan-naq
naqt
ma-ml-
ma-kan-ml-
ma-mlt-
krh
kan-krh
krht
duwb
kan-duwb
duwbt
frrq
kan-frrq
frrqt
b d (mn)
) )
kan-b d
b dt
divide
qsm
kan-qsm
qsmt
divorce
tllq
kan-tllq
tllqt
dizzy, to get
dax
kan-dux
dxt
duwx
kan-duwx
duwxt
kan-dir
drt
kan-jrr
jrrit
kan-rsm
rsmt
dislike
dissolve sth
distribute
distance oneself
(from)
dizzy, to make
do
dar
drag
jrr
draw
rsm
draw up (water from

a well)
jbd
kan-jbd
jbdt
lm (b)
) )
kan-lm
lmt
lbs
kan-lbs
lbst
tfrks
kan-tfrks
tfrkst
drink
rb
kan-rb
rbt
drink, to make
rrb
kan-rrb
rrbt
drip
qtr
kan-qtr
qtrt
drive
sag
kan-sug
sgt
mmq
kan-mmq
mmqt
kan-tiy
tiyt
dream (about)
dress
dress up (slang)
drive crazy
drop sth
tiy
drown
rq
kan-rq
rqt
drunk, to get
skr
kan-skr
skrt
dry, to get
nf
kan-nf
nft
dry sth
ybs
nf
kan-ybs
kan-nf
ybst
nft
English
First Person
Present Tense
First Person
Past Tense
Transcription
Arabic
ybbs
kan-ybbs
ybbst
dry (a wet floor)
jffef
kan-jffef
jffeft
dye
sb
kan-sb
sbt
earn (money)
suwr
kan-suwr
suwrt
easy, to make
shhl
kan-shhl
shhlt
eat
kla
kan-akul
klit
eat breakfast
ftr
kan-ftr
ftrt
eat lunch
tdda
kan-tdda
tddit
eat dinner
t a
kan-t a
t it
economize
qtasd
kan-qtasd
qtasdt
elect
ntaxb
kan-ntaxb
ntaxbt
embarrass sb
kan-m
mt
embarrassed, to be
kan-m
mt
embrace
anq
kan-anq
anqt
embrace Islam
slm
kan-slm
slmt
emigrate
hajr
kan-hajr
hajrt
empty
xwa
kan-xwi
xwit
encourage
jj
kan-jj
jj t
enjoy sth
tbr
kan-tbr
tbr t
enroll
tsjjl
kan-tsjjl
tsjjlt
enter
dxl
kan-dxl
dxlt
envy
sd
kan-sd
sdt
erase
ms
kan-ms
mst
ma
kan-mi
mit
hrb
kan-hrb
hrbt
estimate
qddr
kan-qddr
qddrt
evacuate
(house/country)
xwa
kan-xwi
xwit
evict
xrrj
kan-xrrj
xrrjt
kan-ttuwr
ttuwrt
escape
evolve
ttuwr
exaggerate (slang)
bal
kan-bal
balt
tbadl m a
kan-tbadl
tbadlt
exhibit
rd
kan-rd
rdt
exit
xrj
kan-xrj
xrjt
expensive, to get
la
kay-la
la
experience
jrrb
kan-jrrb
jrrbt
exchange
172 Moroccan Arabic
English
First Person
Present Tense
kay-tqada
First Person
Past Tense
tqada
kan-r
rt
kan-fssr
fssrt
kan-tfrg
tfrg t
Transcription
Arabic
expire
tqada
explain
r
fssr
explode
tfrg
exploit
stal
kan-stal
stalt
export
sddr
kan-sddr
sddrt
express
bbr
kan-bbr
bbrt
txlls mn
kan-txlls
txllst
tqabl m a
kan-tqabl
tqablt
facilitate
shhl
kan-shhl
shhlt
fail
sqt
kan-sqt
sqtt
faint
sxf
kan-sxf
sxft
fall
ta
kan-ti
tt
fall, to make
tiy
kan-tiy
tiyt
fake
zuwr
kan-zuwr
zuwrt
fart
zq
kan-zq
zqt
falsify
zuwr
kan-zuwr
zuwrt
fast
sam
kan-sum
smt
fear
xaf
kan-xaf
xft
feed
wkkl
kan-wkkl
wkklt
feed fodder
llf
kan-llf
llft
feel
ss
kan-ss
ssit
xmr
kan-xmr
xmrt
fight (physically)
tdabz
kan-tdabz
tdabzt
fill (intransitive)
mr
kan-mr
mrt
fill out
mmr
kan-mmr
mmrt
fill up
mmr
kan-mmr
mmrt
filter
sffa
kan-sffi
sffit
muwl
kan-muwl
muwlt
kan-lqa
lqit
kan-kmml
kmmlt
sala
kan-sali
salit
finished, to be
tsala
kan-tsala
tsalit
fish
siyd
kan-siyd
siydt
fix
sawb
kan-sawb
sawbt
sl
grrs
kan-sl
kan-grrs
slt
grrst
exterminate
face
ferment
finance
find
finish
flatten (bread)
lqa
kmml
Transcription
Arabic
First Person
Present Tense
tzzl b
kan-tzzl
tzzlt
flee
hrb
kan-hrb
hrbt
flip
qlb
kan-qlb
qlbt
fly
tar
kan-tir
trt
fold
twa
kan-twi
twit
follow
tb
kan-tb
tb t
forbid
rrm
kan-rrm
rrmt
kan-fr
fr t
kan-zuwr
zuwrt
kan-nsa
nsit
kan-sm
smt
kan-tnbba'
tnbba't
English
flatter (a female)
force open
forge (signature)
fr
forget
nsa
forgive
sm l
foretell
tnbba
free
rrer
kan-rrer
rrert
tlq
kan-tlq
tlqt
jmd
kan-jmd
jmdt
jmmd
kan-jmmd
jmmdt
qla
kan-qli
qlit
qqeq
kan-qqeq
qqeqt
full (of food), to be
kan-b
b t
fun, to make
dk
kan-dk
dkt
nt
kan-nt
ntt
dk la
kan-dk
dkt
tflla la
kan-tflla
tfllit
ksb
kan-ksb
ksbt
rb
kan-rb
rbt
gamble
qmmr
kan-qmmr
qmmrt
gather
jm
kan-jm
jm t
gather (with people)
jtam
kan-jtam
jtam t
gaze
nzez
kan-nzez
nzezt
mmem
kan-mmem
mmemt
kan-wlld
wlldt
freeze
freeze sth
fry
fulfill sth
fun of, to make

gain
generalize
zuwr
First Person
Past Tense
generate
wlld
get
xda
kan-axud
xdit
dd
kan-dd
ddit
get down
hbt
kan-hbt
hbtt
get off
nzl
rkb
kan-nzl
kan-rkb
nzlt
rkbt
get on
174 Moroccan Arabic
English
Transcription
Arabic
tl
thnna mn
txlls mn
mrd
First Person
Present Tense
First Person
Past Tense
kan-tl
tl t
kan-thnna
thnnit
kan-txlls
txllst
kan-mrd
mrdt
daz mn
kan-duz
dzt
get up
nad
kan-nud
ndt
get used to
wllf
kan-wllf
wllft
give
ta
kan-ti
tit
give a ride
dda
kan-ddi
ddit
wssl
kan-wssl
wsslt
kan-xtb
xtbt
get rid of
get sick
get through
give a speech
xtb
give back
rjj
kan-rjj
rjj t
rdd
kan-rdd
rddit
kan-tllq
tllqt
kan-drr
drrit
xnzr f
kan-xnzr
xnzrt
lm
kan-lm
lm t
dwa
kan-dwi
dwit
glue
lssq
kan-lssq
lssqt
go
ma
kan-mi
mit
go ahead of/in front

of
sbq
kan-sbq
sbqt
go by
daz la
kan-duz
dzt
go out
xrj
kan-xrj
xrjt
daz mn
kan-duz
dzt
tl
kan-tl
tl t
hdr f
kan-hdr
hdrt
km la
kan-km
kmt
qbt
kan-qbt
qbtt
dd
kan-dd
ddit
graze
r a
kay-r a
r a
greet
sllm la
kan-sllm
sllmt
tsalm
kan-tsalm
tsalmt
grill
wa
kan-wi
wit
grind
tn
kan-tn
tnt
grow (get
older/bigger)
kbr
kan-kbr
kbrt
give off
tllq
give pain
drr
glare at
gleam
go through
go up
gossip about
govern
grab
greet one another

First Person
Present Tense
kan-dmn
First Person
Past Tense
dmnt
kan-ss
ssit
kan-mdd
mddit
llq
kan-llq
llqt
nr
kan-nr
nrt
wq
kay-wq
wq
jra
kay-jra
jra
tra
kay-tra
tra
happy, to be
fr
kan-fr
frt
happy, to make
frr
kan-frr
frrt
harvest
sd
kan-sd
sdt
hatch
tfqqs
kay-tfqqs
tfqqs
hate
krh
kan-krh
krht
have
nd
ndi
kan ndi
hear
sm
kan-sm
sm t
heat
sxxn
kan-sxxn
sxxnt
awn
kan-awn
awnt
sr
kan-sr
srt
hesitate
trdded
kan-trdded
trddedt
hide sth
xbba
kan-xbba
xbbit
hide (oneself)
txbba
kan-txbba
txbbit
hire (a car)
kra
kan-kri
krit
hit
drb
kan-drb
drbt
hit, to be
tdrb
kan-tdrb
tdrbt
hold
dd
kan-dd
ddit
honor
rrf
kan-rrf
rrft
hope
tmnna
kan-tmnna
tmnnit
house
skkn
kan-skkn
skknt
hug
nnq
kan-nnq
nnqt
hug one another
t anq
kan-t anq
t anqt
hungry, to be
ja
kan-ju
j t
hunt
siyd
kan-siyd
siydt
hurry
zrb
kan-zrb
zrbt
hurt
drr
kan-drr
drrit
miyk la
kan-miyk
miykt
mrd
mrrd
kan-mrd
kan-mrrd
mrdt
mrrdt
English
Transcription
Arabic
dmn
guard
ss
hand
mdd
hang
hang to dry
guarantee
happen
help
herd
ignore (slang)
ill, to be
ill, to make
176 Moroccan Arabic
English
imagine
First Person
Present Tense
First Person
Past Tense
Transcription
Arabic
tsuwr
kan-tsuwr
tsuwrt
kan-txayl
txaylt
kan-qlld
qlldt
imitate
qlld
import
stawrd
kan-stawrd
stawrdt
impose
frd
kan-frd
frdt
imprison
sjn
kan-sjn
sjnt
dd f l bs
kan-dd
ddit
ssn
kan-ssn
ssnt
tssn
kan-tssn
tssnt
improvise
rtajl
kan-rtajl
rtajlt
increase
zad
kan-zid
zdt
indicate
biyn
kan-biyn
biynt
infect
ada
kan-adi
adit
lm
kan-lm
lmt
xbr
kan-xbr
xbrt
inherit
wrt
kan-wrt
wrtt
injure
jr
kan-jr
jrt
inspect (education)
ftt
kan-ftt
fttt
blasa
kan-blasi
blasit
rkkb
kan-rkkb
rkkbt
ayr
kan-ayr
ayrt
sbb
kan-sbb
sbbit
integrate
dmj
kan-dmj
dmjt
interest
httm
kay-httm
httm
interfere
tdxxl
kan-tdxxl
tdxxlt
interrupt
qat
kan-qat
qatt
introduce
qddm
kan-qddm
qddmt
invent
xtar
kan-xtar
xtar t
invite
rd la
kan-rd
rdt
iron
dded
kan-dded
ddedt
sga
kan-sgi
sgit
sqa
kan-sqi
sqit
kan-qllq
qllqt
txayl
improve
inform
install
insult
irrigate
irritate
qllq
irritated, to be
tqllq
kan-tqllq
tqllqt
hmm
kan-hmm
hmmt
isolate

First Person
Present Tense
kan-zl
First Person
Past Tense
zlt
kan-ir
rt
kan-dk
dkt
tflla
kan-tflla
tfllit
km la
kan-km
kmt
asb
kan-asb
asbt
jump
nqqz
kan-nqqz
nqqzt
justify
brrer
kan-brrer
brrert
tafd b
kan-tafd
tafdt
afd la
kan-afd
afd t
qabl d -d ar
kan-qabl
qablt
gabl d-dar
kan-gabl
gablt
at
kan-ut
tt
qdf
kan-qdf
qdft
kidnap
xtf
kan-xtf
xtft
kiss
bas
kan-bus
bst
jn
kan-jn
jnt
know
rf
kan-rf
rft
last (time)
bqa
kan-bqa
bqit
dam
kan-dum
dmt
kan-t ttl
t ttlt
English
jealous, to be
joke
judge
keep
keep house
kick (a ball)
knead
Transcription
Arabic
zl
ar la
dk
late, to be
t ttl
late, to make
ttl
kan-ttl
ttlt
laugh
dk
kan-dk
dkt
dk
kan-dk
dkt
kan-tt
tti t
laugh, to make
lay down
tt
lay eggs
biyd
kan-biyd
biydt
lead
tz m
kan-tz m
tz mt
leak
sal
kan-sil
slt
qtr
kan-qtr
qtrt
kan-tkka
tkkit
lean
tkka la
learn
t llm
kan-t llm
t llmt
leave
xrj
kan-xrj
xrjt
leave (a house/city
for another)
rl
kan-rl
rlt
leave alone
xlla
kan-xlli
xllit
leave behind
xlla
kan-xlli
xllit
lend
sllf
kan-sllf
sllft
178 Moroccan Arabic
English
First Person
Present Tense
kan-tuwl
First Person
Past Tense
tuwlt
kan-qllel
qllelt
kan-xlli
xllit
tlq mn
kan-tlq
tlqt
rrer
kan-rrer
rrert
kan-kdb
kdbt
Transcription
Arabic
lengthen
tuwl
lessen
qllel
let
xlla
let go of
liberate
lie
kdb
lift
hzz
kan-hzz
hzzit
light
kan- l
lt
like
ba
kan-bi
knt bai
jb
kay jbni
jbni
xffef
kan-xffef
xffeft
dded
kan-dded
ddedt
bs
kan-bs
bst
limp
rj
kan-rj
rjt
line, to draw a
sttr
kan-sttr
sttrt
live (reside)
skn
kan-skn
sknt
loan
sllf
kan-sllf
sllft
lock
sdd
kan-sdd
sddit
surt
kan-surt
surtt
af
kan-uf
ft
thlla f
kan-thlla
thllat
d a
kan-d i
d it
tabh
kan-tabh
tabht
look behind
tlfft
kan-tlfft
tlfftt
look down (on sb)
gr
kan-gr
grt
look for
qllb la
kan-qllb
qllbt
look like
bh
kan-bh
bht
ban bal
kan-ban
bnt
look out (window)
tll
kan-tll
tllit
loosen
tlq
kan-tlq
tlqt
rxa
kan-rxi
rxit
rxf
kan-rxf
rxft
wddr
kan-wddr
wddrt
tllf
kan-tllf
tllft
twddr
kan-twddr
twddrt
ba
kan-bi
knt bai
lighten (weight)
limit
look
look after
look alike
lose
lost, to be
love

First Person
Present Tense
kan-mut
First Person
Past Tense
mtt
kan-nzzl
nzzlt
hbbt
kan-hbbt
hbbtt
nqs
kan-nqs
nqst
magnify
kbbr
kan-kbbr
kbbrt
maintain
afd la
kan-afd
afdt
sawb
kan-sawb
sawbt
dar
kan-dir
drt
sn
kan-sn
sn t
tkrfs la
kan-tkrfs
tkrfst
krfs
kan-krfs
krfst
tkkm
kan-tkkm
tkkmt
sn
kan-sn
sn t
nqqt
kan-nqqt
nqqtt
rm
kan-rm
rmt
tzuwj (b)
) )
kan-tzuwj
tzuwjt
marry off (daughter,

etc.)
zuwj
kan-zuwj
zuwjt
massage (hammam)
kssl
kan-kssl
ksslt
mean
na
kan-ni
nit
measure
br
kan-br
brt
mediate
twsst
kan-twsst
twsstt
meet
tlaqa
kan-tlaqa
tlaqit
meeting, to have
jtam
kan-jtam
jtam t
melt
dab
kan-dub
dbt
memorize
fd
kan-fd
fd t
menace
hdded
kan-hdded
hddedt
mess up
krfs
kan-krfs
krfst
migrate
hjr
kan-hjr
hjrt
milk
lb
kan-lb
lbt
mistake, to make a
lt
kan-lt
ltt
ma la
kay-mi liya
ma liya
mix
xllt
kan-xllt
xlltt
monitor (exam)
d a
kan-d i
d it
rs
kan-rs
rst
takr
kan-takr
takrt
English
lower
make
make difficult for sb

maltreat (destroy)
manipulate
manufacture
mark
marry (with)
miss (a bus) 3rd

person
monopolize
Transcription
Arabic
mat la
nzzl
180 Moroccan Arabic

First Person
Present Tense
kan-ffz
First Person
Past Tense
ffzt
kan-rrk
rrkt
kan-kz
kzt
kan-trrk
trrkt
tkz
kan-tkz
tkzt
move away from
b d mn
kan-b d
b dt
move residence
tuwl
kan-tuwl
tuwlt
rl
kan-rl
rlt
qtl
kan-qtl
qtlt
name
smma
kan-smmi
smmit
need
taj
kan-taj
tajt
sm f
kan-sm
smt
frrt
kan-frrt
frrtt
kan-sd
sd t
English
Transcription
Arabic
motivate
ffz
move sth
rrk
kz
move
murder
neglect
trrk
noise, to make
sd
nominate
kan-r
rt
notice
lad
kan-lad
lad t
obey
ta
kan-ti
tt
object
ard
kan-ard
ardt
frd la
kan-frd
frdt
bzzez la
kan-bzzez
bzzezt
observe
lad
kan-lad
ladt
occupy
tll
kan-tll
tllt
wq
kay wq
wq
jra
kay jra
jra
offer
hda
kan-hdi
hdit
oil
ziyt
kan-ziyt
ziytt
old, to get
rf
kan-rf
rft
open
ll
kan-ll
llit
ft
kan-ft
ftt
ft
kan-ft
ftt
oppress
ddb
kan-ddb
ddbt
order sth
tlb
kan-tlb
tlbt
order sb
amr
kan-amr
amrt
organize
nddm
kan-nddm
nddmt
tllb la
kan-tllb
tllbt
tsal
sal
kan-tsal
kan-sal
tsalt
slt
oblige
occur
operate (surgical)
overcome
owe
owed, to be
English
First Person
Present Tense
First Person
Past Tense
Transcription
Arabic
mlk
kan-mlk
mlkt
pacify
hddn
kan-hddn
hddnt
pack
jm
kan-jm
jm t
paint
sb
kan-sb
sbt
park (a car)
blasa
kan-blasa
blasit
participate
ark
kan-ark
arkt
party
tafl
kan-tafl
taflt
pass
daz
kan-duz
dzt
fat
kan-fut
ftt
nj f
kan-nj
njt
daz la
kan-duz
dzt
paste
lssq
kan-lssq
lssqt
patient, to be
sbr
kan-sbr
sbrt
pay
xlls
kan-xlls
xllst
paid, to be
txlls
kan-txlls
txllst
pay back
rdd l
kan-rdd
rddit
peel
qr
kan-qr
qrt
peel (skin)
tqr
kan-tqr
tqrt
xlla
kan-xlli
xllit
sm l
kan-sm
smt
persuade
qn
kan-qn
qn t
photograph
suwr
kan-suwr
suwrt
photographed, to be
tsuwr
kan-tsuwr
tsuwrt
pick (light fruit)
jna
kan-jni
jnit
pierce
tqb
kan-tqb
tqbt
pile up
rrm
kan-rrm
rrmt
plan
xttet
kan-xttet
xttett
plant
zr
kan-zr
zr t
play
l b
kan-l b
l bt
please
jb
kan-jb
jbt
plow
rt
kan-rt
rtt
pluck
riy
kan-riy
riyt
poison
smmem
kan-smmem
smmemt
poisoned, to be
tsmmem
kan-tsmmem
tsmmemt
luwt
mlk
kan-luwt
kan-mlk
luwtt
mlkt
own
pass (exam)
pass by
permit
pollute
possess
182 Moroccan Arabic
English
First Person
Present Tense
First Person
Past Tense
Transcription
Arabic
postpone
ajjl
kan-ajjl
ajjlt
pour
kbb
kan-kbb
kbbit
xwa
kan-xwi
xwit
practice
tbbq
kan-tbbq
tbbqt
praise
md
kan-md
mdt
pray
slla
kan-slli
sllit
precede
sbq
kan-sbq
sbqt
prefer
fddl
kan-fddl
fddlt
prepare
wjjd
kan-wjjd
wjjdt
sawb
kan-sawb
sawbt
pressure
dt
kan-dt
dtt
pretend
dar bal
kan-dir
drt
biyn blli
kan-biyn
biynt
prevent
mn
kan-mn
mn t
print
tb
kan-tb
tb t
produce
ntj
kan-ntj
ntjt
rb
kan-rb
rbt
stafd
kan-stafd
stafdt
progress
tqddm
kan-tqddm
tqddmt
prohibit
mn
kan-mn
mn t
promise
wa d
kan-wa d
wa dt
ntq
kan-ntq
ntqt
propose
qtar
kan-qtar
qtart
proud, to be
ftaxr
kan-ftaxr
ftaxrt
prune
zbr
kan-zbr
zbrt
publish
nr
kan-nr
nrt
pull
jrr
kan-jrr
jrrit
jbd
kan-jbd
jbdt
aqb
kan-aqb
aqbt
df
kan-df
df t
wrrk la
kan-wrrk
wrrkt
kan-brk
brkt
kan-tt
tti t
profit
pronounce
punish
push
push (a button)
put
tt
put down
tt
kan-tt
tti t
tfa
rkkb
kan-tfi
kan-rkkb
tfit
rkkbt
brk la
put out (light)

put together (parts)
English
First Person
Present Tense
First Person
Past Tense
Transcription
Arabic
txasm
kan-txasm
txasmt
quiet, to be
skt
kan-skt
sktt
quiet, to make
skkt
kan-skkt
skktt
quit
ma balu
kan-mi bali
mit bali
rain
ta (l-ta)
) )
kat-ti
tat
raise
hzz
kan-hzz
hzzit
raise (children)
rbba
kan-rbbi
rbbit
raised, to be
trbba
kan-trbba
trbbit
rape
tasb
kan-tasb
tasbt
read
qra
kan-qra
qrit
receive (a letter)
dd
kan-dd
ddit
recognize
t rrf
kan-t rrf
t rrft
sjjl
kan-sjjl
sjjlt
nqs
kan-nqs
nqst
reform
sl
kan-sl
slt
refuse
rfd
kan-rfd
rfdt
refute
nfa
kan-nfi
nfit
regret
ndm
kan-ndm
ndmt
reimburse
uwd
kan-uwd
uwdt
fr
kan-fr
frt
rta
kan-rta
rtat
release
tlq
kan-tlq
tlqt
rely on
uwl la
kan-uwl
uwlt
remain
bqa
kan-bqa
bqit
kan-ql
qlt
tfkkr
kan-tfkkr
tfkkrt
remind
fkkr
kan-fkkr
fkkrt
remove
iyd
kan-iyd
iydt
zuwl
kan-zuwl
zuwlt
jdded
kan-jdded
jddedt
kra
kan-kri
krit
sawb
kan-sawb
sawbt
sl
kan-sl
slt
repeat
awd
kan-awd
awdt
repent
tab
rdd
kan-tub
kan-rdd
tbt
rddit
quarrel
record
reduce
rejoice
relax
remember
renew
rent
repair
reply
ql la
184 Moroccan Arabic
Transcription
Arabic
First Person
Present Tense
request
tlb mn
kan-tlb
tlbt
require
ttlb
kan-ttlb
ttlbt
resemble
bh
kan-bh
bht
resign
staql
kan-staql
staqlt
resist
qawm
kan-qawm
qawmt
respect
tarm
kan-tarm
tarmt
respond
jawb
kan-jawb
jawbt
rest
rta
kan-rta
rtat
tqa d
kan-tqa d
tqa dt
return (to a place)
rj
kan-rj
rj t
return sth
rdd
kan-rdd
rddit
rjj
kan-rjj
rjj t
review
raj
kan-raj
raj t
ride
rkb
kan-rkb
rkbt
ride, to give a
dda
kan-ddi
ddit
kan-rkkb
rkkbt
kan-wssl
wsslt
kan-llel
llelt
English
retire
rkkb
wssl
First Person
Past Tense
rinse
llel
rise (like the sun)
tl
kan-tl
tl t
rise (to wake up)
faq
kan-fiq
fqt
rot
fsd
kan-fsd
fsdt
duwr
kan-duwr
duwrt
kan-kk
kkit
round, to go
rub
kk
run
jra
kan-jri
jrit
run away
hrb
kan-hrb
hrbt
run out of
tqada
kan-tqada
tqadit
zrb
kan-zrb
zrbt
sacrifice
da
kan-di
dit
satisfy
qn
kan-qn
qn t
save
xbba
kan-xbbi
xbbit
xzn
kan-xzn
xznt
xbb
kan-xbb
xbb t
jm l flus
kan-jm
jm t
wffr
kan-wffr
wffrt
say
gal
kan-gul
glt
scratch
kk
kan-kk
kkit
rush
save (money)
English
scream
Transcription
Arabic
uwt
First Person
Present Tense
kan-uwt
First Person
Past Tense
uwtt
kan-ziyr
ziyrt
kan-uf
ft
kan-tawf
tawft
screw
ziyr
see
af
tawf
sell
ba
kan-bi
b t
send
sift
kan-sift
siftt
separate
frrq
kan-frrq
frrqt
serve
srba
kan-srbi
srbit
set a bone
jbbr
kan-jbbr
jbbrt
set (the sun)
rb
kan-rb
rbt
set up
rkkb
kan-rkkb
rkkbt
settle
staqr
kan-staqr
staqrt
xiyt
kan-xiyt
xiytt
tr d
kan-tr d
tr dt
rjf
kan-rjf
rjft
sllm la
kan-sllm
sllmt
shake out
rrk
kan-rrk
rrkt
share
qsm
kan-qsm
qsmt
njr
kan-njr
njrt
mdda
kan-mddi
mddi t
ssn
kan-ssn
ssnt
kan-sr
srt
see one another
sew
shake (palsy)
shake hands with
sharpen
shave
shepherd
sr
shine
lm
kan-lm
lm t
shiver
tr d
kan-tr d
tr dt
rjf
kan-rjf
rjft
shop (weekly market)
tsuwq
kan-tsuwq
tsuwqt
shop (food)
tqdda
kan-tqdda
tqddit
kan-qssr
qssrt
kan-uwt
uwtt
shorten
qssr
shout
uwt
shovel
hzz b l bala
kan-hzz
hzzit
show
wrra
kan-wrri
wrrit
shower
duw
kan-duw
duwt
sdd
kan-sdd
sddit
mmd
kan-mmd
mmdt
skt
kan-skt
sktt
rbl
tsara
kan-rbl
kan-tsara
rblt
tsarit
shut
shut eyes
shut up
sift
sightsee
186 Moroccan Arabic
English
sign
First Person
Present Tense
First Person
Past Tense
Transcription
Arabic
sna
kan-sni
snit
wqq
kan-wqq
wqq t
kan-skkt
skktt
silence sb
skkt
silent, to be
skt
kan-skt
sktt
simplify
shhl
kan-shhl
shhlt
sing
nna
kan-nni
nnit
sink
ts
kan-ts
tst
rq
kan-rq
rqt
sit
gls
kan-gls
glst
skin
slx
kan-slx
slxt
skip
nqqz
kan-nqqz
nqqzt
slap (in the face)
srfq
kan-srfq
srfqt
trr
kan-trr
trrt
kan-db
dbt
slaughter
db
sleep
n s
kan-n s
n st
n s
kan-n s
n st
slide
zlq
kan-zlq
zlqt
slip
zlq
kan-zlq
zlqt
lttx
kan-lttx
lttxt
smell
mm
kan-mm
mmit
smile
btasm
kan-btasm
btasmt
smoke
kma
kan-kmi
kmit
smuggle
hrrb
kan-hrrb
hrrbt
sneeze
ts
kan-ts
tst
solder
lm
kan-lm
lmt
solve
ll
kan-ll
llit
speak
tkllm
kan-tkllm
tkllmt
hdr
kan-hdr
hdrt
dwa
kan-dwi
dwit
txsses
kan-txsses
txssest
kan-srf
srft
sleep, to make
smear
specialize
spend money
srf
spend the night
bat
kan-bat
btt
duwz
kan-duwz
duwzt
kan-zl
zlt
kan-dfl
kan-r
dflt
rit
spend time
spin
zl
spit
dfl
r
splash
English
Transcription
Arabic
fe
sprain
df
spray
squeeze
spoil (a child)
First Person
Present Tense
First Person
Past Tense
kan-fe
fet
kan-df
df t
kan-r
rit
sr
kan-sr
srt
ziyr
kan-ziyr
ziyrt
stamp
tb
kan-tb
tb t
stand
wqf
kan-wqf
wqft
xnzr f
kan-xnzr
xnzrt
start
bda
kan-bda
bdit
startle
xl
kan-xl
xl t
startled, to be
txl
kan-txl
txl t
stay
bqa
kan-bqa
bqit
gls
kan-gls
glst
stay up late
shr
kan-shr
shrt
steal
srq
kan-srq
srqt
ffr
kan-ffr
ffrt
ft
kan-ft
ftt
fs
kan-fs
fst
sting
qrs
kan-qrs
qrst
stink
xnz
kan-xnz
xnzt
stir
rrk
kan-rrk
rrkt
stop
wqf
kan-wqf
wqft
bs
kan-bs
bst
txasm m a
kan-txasm
txasmt
store
xzn
kan-xzn
xznt
strangle
qjj
kan-qjj
qjjit
xnq
kan-xnq
xnqt
dar l idrab
kan-dir
drt
tma
kan-tma
tmit
jbbd
kan-jbbd
jbbdt
kssl
kan-kssl
ksslt
qra
kan-qra
qrit
drs
kan-drs
drst
succeed at
nj f
kan-nj
njt
suck
mss
d a
kan-mss
kan-d i
mssit
d it
stare angrily
step on
stop speaking with
strike (from work)

stroll
stretch
study
sue
188 Moroccan Arabic
English
First Person
Present Tense
First Person
Past Tense
Transcription
Arabic
suffer
t ddb
kan-t ddb
t ddbt
suggest
qtar
kan-qtar
qtart
tmm
kan-tmm
tmmt
faj'a
kan-faj'a
faj'at
staslm
kan-staslm
staslmt
nja
kan-nja
njit
kan-i
swallow
srt
kan-srt
srtt
swarm (bees)
rt
kan-rt
rt t
lf b llah
kan-lf
lft
ahd
kan-ahd
ahdt
swear (oath)
qsm
kan-qsm
qsmt
sweat
rg
kan-rg
rgt
rq
kan-rq
rqt
kan-ttb
ttbt
sunbathe
surprise
surrender
survive
swear
sweep
ttb
swell
tnffx
kan-tnffx
tnffxt
swim
am
kan-um
t m
switch (off)
tfa
kan-tfi
tfit
switch (on)
kan- l
lt
t atf m a
kan-t atf
t atft
take
xda
kan-axud
xdit
take away/off
iyd
kan-iyd
iydt
zuwl
kan-zuwl
zuwlt
thlla f
kan-thlla
thllat
take charge of
tkllf b
kan-tkllf
tkllft
talk
tkllm
kan-tkllm
tkllmt
hdr
kan-hdr
hdrt
talk nonsense
xrbq
kan-xrbq
xrbqt
tame
ruwd
kan-ruwd
ruwdt
kan-sjjl
sjjlt
kan-lssq
lssqt
kan-duq
dqt
kan-qrri
qrrit
llm
kan-llm
llmt
qtt
tqtt
kan-qtt
kan-tqtt
qttt
tqttt
sympathize with
take care of
tape (record)
sjjl
tape (scotch)
lssq
taste
daq
teach
qrra
tear something
tear (to be torn)
English
First Person
Present Tense
First Person
Past Tense
Transcription
Arabic
qb
kan-qb
qbt
tflla
kan-tflla
tfllit
iyt f
kan-iyt
iytt
drb t tilifun
kan-drb
drbt
gal
kan-gul
glt
awd
kan-awd
awdt
thaw
dab
kan-dub
dbt
think
fkkr
kan-fkkr
fkkrt
kan-xmmem
xmmemt
kan-dnn
dnnit
kan-hdded
hddedt
tease
telephone
tell
xmmem
think that
dnn blli
threaten
hdded
thresh
drs
kan-drs
drst
throw
la
kan-lu
lt
rma
kan-rmi
rmit
tickle
hrr
kan-hrr
hrrit
tie
rbt
kan-rbt
rbtt
tie (belt)
zm
kan-zm
zmt
tighten
ziyr
kan-ziyr
ziyrt
tired, to be
ya
kan-ya
yit
tired, to make
iya
kan-iya
iyit
torture
ddb
kan-ddb
ddbt
qas
kan-qis
qst
mss
kan-mss
mssit
kan-tajr
tajrt
kan-drrb
drrbt
kan-trjm
trjmt
kan-safr
safrt
kan-t aml
t amlt
touch
trade
tajr
train
drrb
translate
trjm
travel
safr
t aml m a
trick
mt
kan-mt
mtt
trip
tr
kan-tr
trt
trust
taq f
kan-tiq
tqt
try (to attempt to do

sth)
awl
kan-awl
awlt
try (to experience

sth)
jrrb
kan-jrrb
jrrbt
try on
qiys
kan-qiys
qiyst
turn
dar
kan-dur
drt
treat (people)
190 Moroccan Arabic

First Person
Present Tense
kan-duwr
First Person
Past Tense
duwrt
kan-nqs
nqst
kan-tfi
tfit
kan- l
lt
qlb
kan-qlb
qlbt
glb
kan-glb
glbt
twist
lwa
kan-lwi
lwit
understand
fhm
kan-fhm
fhmt
understand, to make
fhhm
kan-fhhm
fhhmt
unite
wd
kan-wd
wdt
upset
qllq
kan-qllq
qllqt
upset, to be
tqllq
kan-tqllq
tqllqt
sta ml
kan-sta ml
sta mlt
use (land)
stal
kan-stal
stalt
use to, to be of
sl l
kan-sl
slt
used to, to become
wllf
kan-wllf
wllft
useful, to be
nf
kan-nf
nf t
vaccinate
lqq
kan-lqq
lqqt
zar
kan-zur
zrt
tqiya
kan-tqiya
tqiyit
rdd
kan-rdd
rddit
tsnna
kan-tsnna
tsnnit
ayn
kan-ayn
aynt
wake someone
fiyq
kan-fiyq
fiyqt
wake up
faq
kan-fiq
fqt
walk
tma
kan-tma
tmit
walk around
tsara
kan-tsara
tsarit
tma
kan-tma
tmit
want
ba
kan-bi
bit
warm / heat
sxxn
kan-sxxn
sxxnt
warm, to be
sxn
kan-sxn
sxnt
warn
ddr
kan-ddr
ddrt
water
sqa
kan-sqi
sqit
sga
kan-sgi
sgit
sl
kan-sl
slt
sbbn
siyq
kan-sbbn
kan-siyq
sbbnt
siyqt
English
Transcription
Arabic
duwr
nqs mn
turn off
tfa
turn on
turn over sth
turn around
turn down (volume)
use
visit
vomit
wait
wash
wash (clothes)
wash (floor)
English
First Person
Present Tense
First Person
Past Tense
Transcription
Arabic
waste
diy
kan-diy
diy t
watch (TV)
tfrrj
kan-tfrrj
tfrrjt
wave
iyr l
kan-iyr
iyrt
wear
lbs
kan-lbs
lbst
weave
nsj
kan-nsj
nsjt
weep
bka
kan-bki
bkit
weigh
br
kan-br
brt
wzn
kan-wzn
wznt
rb
kan-rb
rbt
staqbl
kan-staqbl
staqblt
suda
kan-sudi
sudit
well, to be
bra
kan-bra
brit
wet, to make
fzzg
kan-fzzg
fzzgt
wet, to be
fzg
kan-fzg
fzgt
whistle
sffr
kan-sffr
sffrt
widen
wss
kan-wss
wss t
kan-rb
rbt
kan-jffef
jffeft
kan-ms
mst
kan-mi
mit
kan-sxf
sxft
kan-tmnna
tmnnit
kan-ybs
ybst
kan-lwa
lwit
kan-hd
hdt
kan-t jjb
t jjbt
kan-xmmem
xmmemt
kan-xdm
xdmt
kan-ttn
ttnt
kan-duwd
duwdt
kan-swa
swit
kan-jr
jrt
kan-ktb
ktbt
kan-tfuwh
tfuwht
welcome
weld
win
rb
wipe dry (floor)
jffef
wipe off
ms
ma
wiped out, to be
wish
wither
sxf
tmnna
ybs
lwa
witness
wonder at
hd
t jjb
xmmem f
work
xdm
worry
ttn
wormy, to get
duwd
worth, to be
swa
wound
jr
write
ktb
yawn
tfuwh
192 Moroccan Arabic
Grammar Index
Vocabulary Index

Arabic Speaking

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Table of Contents

Food and Drink..............................................................................................................89

Peace Corps / Morocco 3

Transcription of Moroccan Arabic

Practicing the different sounds of Moroccan

explanation can be found on page 143.

Sounds You Already Know

the normal English sound /b/

the normal English sound /d/

the short e sound /e/ as in met (this transcription character is

the normal English sound /f/

the normal English sound /g/ as in go

the normal English sound /h/ as in hi.

the /zh/ sound represented by the s in pleasure

the normal English sound /k/

the normal English sound /l/

the normal English sound /m/

the normal English sound /n/

the long o sound // as in bone (this transcription character is

the normal English sound /p/

this is not the normal English r, but a flap similar to the

the normal English sound /s/

the normal English sound /t/

the long oo sound // as in food

the normal English sound /v/

the normal English sound /w/

the normal English sound /y/

the normal English sound /z/

the long ee sound // as in meet

the normal English sound /sh/ as in she

the ee you as in see you later

the Arabic emphatic

the Arabic emphatic

the Arabic emphatic

like the ch in the German Bach; some people use this

like the x sound above, but pronounced using your voice

These sounds are pronounced like

Peace Corps / Morocco 3

like the English h, except pronounce deep in the throat as

This sound will be difficult at first. It can be approximated

him one time)

3. It connects the negative prefix (ma) and the negative suffix () to a

Words & Syllables Without Vowels

Why Not Just Write sh?

Peace Corps / Morocco 5

Getting Started with Moroccan Arabic

How do people greet each

A: Good afternoon / evening

Whats your name?

Nice to meet you.

How are you (masc.)?

How are you (fem.)?

Are you fine?

Good, thanks be to God.

John: kif dayr?

Exercise: Put this dialogue in the correct order.

Chris: kif dayra?

Chris: labas, l-hamdullah.

Chris: smiti Chris. u nti?

Amy: bikhir, l-hamdullah. u nta?

you (masc. singular)

Peace Corps / Morocco 7

Example of possessive pronouns with the noun book.