Peace Corps Morocco

MOROCCAN ARABIC

1961 - 2011
Reproduced in 2011
With CD

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Moroccan Arabic Textbook
 Peace Corps / Morocco • 5

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 one‘s hand over one‘s 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. Don‘t 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 greeting—only 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 s-salamu ‫ع‬alaykum
B: And peace be upon you (too) wa ‫ع‬alaykum s-salam

A: Good morning ṣbaн l-xir

B: Good morning ṣbaн l-xir

A: Good afternoon / evening msa l-xir

B: Good afternoon / evening msa l-xir

name smiya
6 • Moroccan Arabic

What‟s your name? šnu smitk?

my name... smiti...

your name... smitk...

his name... smitu...

her name... smitha...

Nice to meet you. mtšrfin

How are you (masc.)? kif dayr? ‫كـي‬

How are you (fem.)? kif dayra? ‫كـي‬

Are you fine? labas?

Good, thanks be to God. labas, l-нamdullah

Good, thanks be to God. bixir, l-нamdullah

Everything is fine. kulši bixir

Good-bye bslama

Good night layla sa‫ع‬ida

Greetings Dialogue
John: s-salamu ‫ع‬alaykum.

Mohamed: wa ‫ع‬alaykum s-salam.

John: kif dayr?

Mohamed: labas, l-нamdullah. u nta?

John: bixir, l-нamdullah.

Mohamed: šnu smitk?

John: smiti John. u nta?

Mohamed: smiti Mohamed.

John: mtšrfin.

Mohamed: mtšrfin.

Transcription Reminder – see page 1 for the full table with all transcription characters.
š: the /sh/ sound as in “she” a: the „a‟ in “father” or the „a‟ in “mad”
x: the „ch‟ in the German “Bach” or the i: the „ee‟ in “meet”
Scottish “loch” See page144. u: the „oo‟ in “food”
 Peace Corps / Morocco • 7

Exercise: Put this dialogue in the correct order.

Chris: ṣbaн l-xir.

Amy: mtšrfin.

Chris: kif dayra?

Amy: šnu smitk?

Chris: labas, l-нamdullah.

Amy: smiti Amy.

Chris: smiti Chris. u nti?

Amy: ṣbaн l-xir.

Chris: mtšrfin.

Amy: bixir, l-нamdullah. 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 55).
The pronouns are often used in a number of different ways.

I ana

you (masc. singular) nta

you (fem. singular) nti

he huwa

she hiya

we нna

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. ana ustad.

She is tired. hiya ‫ع‬iyana.

Transcription Reminder – see page 1 for the full table with all transcription characters.
h: the normal English /h/ sound as in н: like the English “h,” except pronounce it
“hello.” 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) k

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
 Peace Corps / Morocco • 9

Exercise: Use the following words with the appropriate possessive pronoun.
• ḍar (house) • blaṣa (place) • ktab (book) • wrqa (sheet of paper, ticket)
1. your (plur.) house 6. their place
2. my place 7. her house
3. his book 8. his ticket
4. our place 9. your (sing.) book
5. your (sing.) ticket 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 (girl‟s name) amal

Second, most (though not all) parts of the body that come in pairs are feminine:
an eye ‫ع‬in
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 ḍ-ḍar
the sun š-šms

Transcription Reminder – see page 1 for the full table with all transcription characters.
j: the /zh/ sound, like the „s‟ in the Remember that if two characters in a row are
word “pleasure.” the same, a “shedda” is used, and we pronounce
‫ع‬: See page 146. that sound longer. See pages 3 and 146.
10 • Moroccan Arabic

Describing Yourself
Objective: By the end of the chapter, you will be able to:
• 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 someone—this could be seen as expressing an
inappropriate interest. People won‘t 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-mġrib.
I am Moroccan. ana mġribi(ya).
Are you ... ? weš nta/nti ... ?
Are you from the U.S.? weš 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.) ṣġira
Excuse me. (to man / woman) smн li / smнi li
I am not ... ana maši ...
but welakin
engaged (fem.) mxṭuba
married (masc. / fem.) mzuwj / mzuwja
No, not yet. lla mazal / lla baqi
Are you a tourist? weš nta/nti turist?
ana xddam(a) m‫ع‬a hay'at
I work with the Peace Corps.
s-salam.
 Peace Corps / Morocco • 11

Dialogue
Fatima: s-salamu ‫ع‬alaykum.
Tom: wa ‫ع‬alaykum s-salam.
Fatima: smн li, weš nta fransawi?
Tom: lla, ana mirikani.
Fatima: mnin f mirikan?
Tom: mn mdint Seattle f wilayat
Washington. u nti?
Fatima: mn Rabat.
Tom: šнal f ‫ع‬mrk?
Fatima: tnayn u ‫ع‬šrin ‫ع‬am. u nta?
Tom: rb‫ع‬a u tlatin ‫ع‬am.
Fatima: weš nta mzuwj wlla mazal?
Tom: mazal. u nti?
Fatima: lla, baqiya. weš nta turist?
Tom: lla, ana xddam m‫ع‬a
hay'at s-salam.
Fatima: bslama.
Tom: n-šufk mn b‫ع‬d.
12 • Moroccan Arabic

Exercise: Complete each section of this dialogue.

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 some-
times 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.) waнd Ø Ø

one (fem.) wнda Ø Ø

two juj Ø Ø

three tlata tlt

four rb‫ع‬a rb‫ع‬

five xmsa xms

six stta stt

seven sb‫ع‬a sb‫ع‬

eight tmnya tmn

nine ts‫ع‬ud ts‫ع‬

ten ‫ع‬šra ‫ع‬šr

 Peace Corps / Morocco • 23

For the numbers 3 thru 10, we combine the full form of a number and a noun like this:
number (full form) + d (‫ )د‬+ 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 (waнd/wнda) 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 waнd

one girl (girl is fem.) bnt wнda

Sometimes, you may hear waнd (not wнda) 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‖). Don‘t worry
about it now, just be aware of it.
INTERMEDIATE
TOPIC

a book waнd l-ktab

a girl waнd 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 don‘t 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 Dual Form

day yum yumayn

month šhr šhrayn

year ‫ع‬am ‫ع‬amayn

But...

Singular Form Plural Form

week simana juj d s-simanat

minute dqiqa 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 нḍaš

twelve ṭnaš

thirteen tlṭaš

fourteen rb‫ع‬ṭaš

fifteen xmsṭaš

sixteen sṭṭaš

seventeen sb‫ع‬ṭaš

eighteen tmnṭaš

nineteen ts‫ع‬ṭaš

Yes — the singular!

For numbers 11 thru 19, we can combine a number and a noun like this:
In Arabic, the plural
form is only used for
r (‫)ر‬ numbers 2 thru 10.
number + or + singular noun (no definite article) The singular is used
l (‫)ل‬ for everything else!

sixteen years sṭṭaš r ‫ع‬am

sixteen years sṭṭaš l ‫ع‬am

eighteen girls tmnṭaš r bnt

eighteen girls tmnṭaš l bnt

 Peace Corps / Morocco • 25

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 ‫ع‬šrin

twenty-one
waнd u ‫ع‬šrin
literally: one and twenty
twenty-two
literally: two and twenty tnayn u ‫ع‬šrin
Remember: “tnayn,” not “juj”

twenty-three
tlata u ‫ع‬šrin
literally: three and twenty
twenty-four rb‫ع‬a u ‫ع‬šrin

thirty tlatin

thirty-one waнd u tlatin

thirty-two tnayn u tlatin

thirty-three tlata u tlatin

forty rb‫ع‬in

forty-one waнd u rb‫ع‬in

forty-two tnayn u rb‫ع‬in

fifty xmsin

sixty sttin

seventy sb‫ع‬in

eighty tmanin

ninety ts‫ع‬in

ninety-nine ts‫ع‬ud u ts‫ع‬in

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 rb‫ع‬in ‫ع‬am

ninety dirhams ts‫ع‬in drhm

thirty-eight books tmnya u tlatin ktab

26 • Moroccan Arabic

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 miya

one hundred one miya u waнd

literally: one hundred and one

one hundred two miya u juj

literally: one hundred and two

one hundred ten miya u ‫ع‬šra

literally: one hundred and ten

one hundred eleven miya u нḍaš

one hundred twenty-one
literally: one hundred and one and miya u waнd u ‫ع‬šrin
twenty

one hundred twenty-two

literally: one hundred and two and miya u tnayn u ‫ع‬šrin
twenty

one hundred ninety-nine miya u ts‫ع‬ud u ts‫ع‬in

two hundred miyatayn

two hundred fifty-seven miyatayn u sb‫ع‬a u

literally: two hundred and seven
and fifty
xmsin

three hundred tlt miya

three hundred forty-five tlt miya u xmsa u

literally: three hundred and five and
forty
rb‫ع‬in

four hundred rb‫ ع‬miya

five hundred xms miya

six hundred stt miya

seven hundred sb‫ ع‬miya

eight hundred tmn miya

nine hundred ts‫ ع‬miya

ts‫ ع‬miya u ts‫ع‬ud u
nine hundred ninety-nine ts‫ع‬in

Exact multiples of 100 (100, 300, 400, etc. – not 137 or 278) are combined with a noun like this:
number + t ( ) + singular noun
 Peace Corps / Morocco • 27

four hundred chairs rb‫ ع‬miyat 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 “14”) miyatayn u rb‫ع‬ṭaš r ktab
stt miya u sb‫ع‬a u xmsin
657 books (use the rule for “57”)
ktab

Exercise: Match the number with the correct Arabic translation.

199 miya u ts‫ع‬ud u rb‫ع‬in

2 ts‫ع‬ud u sttin

11 miya u stta u xmsin

149 xmsa u sb‫ع‬in

137 miya u ts‫ع‬ud u ts‫ع‬in

75 нḍaš

69 miya u sb‫ع‬a u tlatin

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 waнd

one thousand fifteen alf u xmsṭaš

one thousand three hundred
sixty-seven (literally: one alf u tlt miya u sb‫ع‬a
thousand and three hundred and u sttin
seven and sixty)

two thousand alfayn

alfayn u tnayn u
two thousand twenty-two ‫ع‬šrin
three thousand tlt alaf
28 • Moroccan Arabic

three thousand seven tlt alaf u sb ‫ع‬miya u

hundred and fifty xmsin

four thousand rb‫ ع‬alaf

five thousand xms alaf

six thousand stt alaf

seven thousand sb‫ ع‬alaf

eight thousand tmn alaf

nine thousand ts‫ ع‬alaf

nine thousand nine hundred ts‫ ع‬alaf u ts‫ ع‬miya u

ninety-nine ts‫ع‬ud u ts‫ع‬in

ten thousand ‫ع‬šr alaf

eleven thousand нḍaš r alf

two hundred thousand miyatayn alf

ts‫ ع‬miya u ts‫ع‬ud u
999,999 ts‫ع‬in alf u ts‫ ع‬miya
u ts‫ع‬ud u ts‫ع‬in

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

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

 Peace Corps / Morocco • 29

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) 3

ḍar (house)

stilu (pen)

drhm (dirham)

mutaṭawwi‫ع‬ (volunteer)

rjal (men)

ustad (teacher)

oṭil (hotel)

magana (watch)
(the
l-‫ع‬yalat women)

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-rab‫ع‬

fifth l-xams

sixth s-sat / s-sads

seventh s-sab‫ع‬

eighth t-tamn

ninth t-tas‫ع‬

tenth l-‫ع‬ašr

eleventh l-нaḍš

twelfth ṭ-ṭanš
30 • Moroccan Arabic

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 Feminine Plural

l-luwl l-luwla l-luwlin
first

t-talt t-talta t-taltin

third

Fractions
half nṣ

third tulut

fourth rubu‫ ع‬/ rb‫ع‬

Time
To express time, we use the demonstrative pronoun hadi and the appropriate number with the
definite article (see page 147 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.

one l-wнda seven s-sb‫ع‬a

two j-juj eight t-tmnya

three t-tlata nine t-ts‫ع‬ud

four r-rb‫ع‬a ten l-‫ع‬šra

five l-xmsa eleven l-нḍaš

six s-stta twelve ṭ-ṭnaš

Like in English, Arabic uses certain words to express things like ―quarter to five,‖ ―half past seven,‖ etc.

before ql twenty minutes tulut

and u half nṣ

exactly nišan quarter to lla rob

quarter rb‫ع‬ five minutes qṣm

ten minutes qṣmayn

 Peace Corps / Morocco • 31

Some examples of asking and answering about time:

What time is it? šнal hadi f s-sa‫ع‬a?

It is exactly one o‟clock. hadi l-wнda nišan.

It is five minutes past two. hadi j-juj u qṣm.

It is ten minutes past three. hadi t-tlata u qṣmayn.

It is a quarter past four. hadi r-rb‫ع‬a u rb‫ع‬.

It is twenty minutes past five. hadi l-xmsa u tulut.

hadi s-stta u xmsa u
It is twenty-five minutes past six. ‫ع‬šrin.

It is seven thirty. hadi s-sb‫ع‬a u nṣ.

hadi tmnya u xmsa u
It is eight thirty-five. tlatin.
It is twenty minutes to nine. hadi t-ts‫ع‬ud ql tulut.

It is a quarter to ten. hadi l-‫ع‬šra lla rob.

It is ten minutes to eleven hadi l-нḍaš ql qṣmayn.

It is five minutes to twelve. hadi ṭ-ṭnaš ql qṣm.

6:30 A.M. s-stta u nṣ d ṣ-ṣbaн

5:15 P.M. l-xmsa u rb‫ ع‬d l-‫ع‬šiya

Exercise: Match the times with the correct Arabic translation.

10:30 l-wнda u qṣm

12:00 l-нḍaš u qṣmayn

1:05 ṭ-ṭnaš nišhan

2:20 l-‫ع‬šra ql tulut

11:10 l-‫ع‬šra u nṣ

9:40 j-juj u tulut

32 • Moroccan Arabic

Exercise: Give the time in Arabic for each clock or watch.

34 • Moroccan Arabic

At the Hanoot
Vocabulary
store нanut peanuts kaw kaw

store keeper mul l-нanut almonds l-luz

soda l-monada bottle l-qr‫ع‬a

chocolate š-šklaṭ bottle of water qr‫ع‬a d l-ma

candies l-нlwa Kleenex kliniks

ppapiyi
gum l-mska toilet paper jinik
cookies l-biskwi tooth paste dontifris

juice l-‫ع‬aṣir soap ṣ-ṣabun

bread l-xubz shampoo š-šampwan

jam l-konfitur detergent tid

butter z-zbda bleach javel

l-нjrat d
eggs l-biḍ batteries
r-radyu
yogurt danon razor r-razwar

milk l-нlib tobacco store ṣ-ṣaka

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 ṣ-ṣrf

Expressions
Do you have ... ? weš ‫ع‬ndk ... ?

Yes, I do (have). iyeh, ‫ع‬ndi.

No, I don‟t (have). lla, ma-‫ع‬ndi-š.

Is there ... ? weš kayn ... ?

Yes, there is. (masc.) iyeh, kayn / mujud

Yes, there is. (fem.) iyeh, kayna / mujuda

 Peace Corps / Morocco • 35

No, there isn‟t. (masc.) lla, ma-kayn-š.

No, there isn‟t. (fem.) lla, ma-kayna-š.

Give me ... please. ‫ع‬ṭini ... ‫ع‬afak.

What do you want ma‟am / sir? šnu bġiti a lalla/sidi?

How much? bšнal?

Do you have change? weš ‫ع‬ndk ṣ-ṣrf?

Do you have change for ... ? weš ‫ع‬ndk ṣ-ṣrf dyal..?

Liter
liter itru

¼ liter rubu‫ ع‬itru

½ liter nṣ itru

1 liter waнd itru

2 liters juj itru

I want ½ a liter of milk. bġit nṣ itru d l-нlib.

Dialogue
Karla: s-salamu ‫ع‬alaykum.
mul l-нanut: wa ‫ع‬alaykum s-salam.
šnu bġiti a lalla?
Karla: weš ‫ع‬ndk šklaṭ?

mul l-нanut: iyeh, mujud a lalla.

Karla: ‫ع‬ṭini juj bakiyat.
bšнal?
mul l-нanut: ṭnaš l drhm.

Karla: hak, barak llah u fik.

mul l-нanut: bla jmil

1. feen kayna Karla? 1

2. weš šrat l-нlib? 2
3. šnu šrat mn l-нanut? 3
4. šнal mn bakiya? 4
5. bšнal? 5
38 • Moroccan Arabic

Family
Objective: By the end of the chapter, you will be able to:
• 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 in-law(s) nsib / nsab

man/husband rajl step-son rbib

girl/daughter bnt step-daughter rbiba

boy/son wld grandfather jdd

girls/daughters bnat grandmother jdda

boys/sons/
wlad uncle (paternal) ‫ع‬mm
children
the parents l-walidin aunt (paternal) ‫ع‬mma

uncle (maternal) xal

the father l'ab These forms are aunt (maternal) xala

rarely used in
Moroccan Arabic. my nephew
the mother l'om wld xuya
Sometimes they (brother‟s side)
are used with
“dyal.” More
my niece
the brother l'ax bnt xuya
often, we use the (brother‟s side)
forms “my father, my nephew
the sister l'oxt “my sister,” etc. wld xti
(sister‟s side)
my niece
bnt xti
(sister‟s side)
my cousin
(my) brother xu(ya) wld ‫ع‬mm(t)i
(mas., paternal)
my cousin
brothers/ siblings xut wld xal(t)i
(mas., maternal)

my cousin
(my) sister xt(i) bnt ‫ع‬mm(t)i
(fem, paternal)

my cousin
sisters xwatat bnt xal(t)i
(fem, maternal)
 Peace Corps / Morocco • 39

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 my mother mmi

your father bbak your mother mmk

his father bbah his mother mmu

her father bbaha her mother mha

Exercise: Add the possessive endings to the following:

sister xt

brother xu

uncle ‫ع‬mm

aunt ‫ع‬mma

Expressions
How is Mohamed related to
aš kay-jeek Mohamed?
you?
How is Amina related to you? aš kat-jeek Amina?

My mom doesn‟t work. mmi ma-xddama-š.

My mom and dad are divorced. bba u mmi mṭllqin.

I have two twin siblings. ‫ع‬ndi juj xut twam.

How many siblings do you

šнal d l-xut ‫ع‬ndk?
have?
How many sisters do you have? šнal mn oxt ‫ع‬ndk?

What‟s your father‟s name? šnu smit bbak?

How old is your brother? šнal f ‫ع‬mr xuk?

I have a younger brother. ‫ع‬ndi xuya ṣġr mnni.

My (male) cousin and I are the
ana u wld ‫ع‬mmi qd qd.
same age.
xti lli kbr mnni
My older sister is a teacher.
ustada.
My younger brother goes to xuya lli ṣġr mnni
school. kay-qra.
40 • Moroccan Arabic

Exercise: Describe the relationships between family members for each arrow.

ex: 1. Fatima ______ Samira.


Fatima
  Aziz



Ahmed Karima
 
 

11

Samira 12
Mohamed 13 Youness
Rachid

Verb “to have”

The verb ―to have‖ ‫ع‬nd ( ) in the present tense:

I have ‫ع‬ndi

you have (sing.) ‫ع‬ndk

he has ‫ع‬ndu

she has ‫ع‬ndha

we have ‫ع‬ndna

you have (plur.) ‫ع‬ndkum

they have ‫ع‬ndhum

Moha and Fatima have two Moha u Fatima ‫ع‬ndhum juj

daughters and a son. bnat u wld.
We have a good teacher. ‫ع‬ndna ustad mzyan.

To negate the verb, use ma ... š ( ).

Do you have a house in

weš ‫ع‬ndk ḍar f l-mġrib?
Morocco?
No, I don‟t. I have a house in lla, ma-‫ع‬ndi-š. ‫ع‬ndi ḍar
the U.S. f mirikan.
 Peace Corps / Morocco • 41

Exercise: Put the verb “‫ع‬nd” in the correct form.

1. xti _________ 24 ‫ع‬am. 24
2. xuya _________ 2 wlad. 2
3. нna _________ wld u tlata d
l-bnat.
4. huma _________ famila kbira.
5. weš Mohamed _________ ṭomobil?
6. lla, _________.

Exercise: Put sentences A thru I in the correct order for this letter from Karim to Tom.
ṣaнbi Tom,
bġitini n-hḍr lik ‫ع‬la l-famila dyali?
A. bba smitu Ali. .A
B. mmi ‫ع‬ndha ġir 52 ‫ع‬am. 52 .B
C. Hassan ‫ع‬ndu 15 ‫ع‬am u Mohamed ‫ع‬ndu
20 ‫ع‬am. 20 15 .C
D. (kay-sknu m‫ع‬ana f ḍ-ḍar) welakin
.D
xti mzuwja.
E. rajlha smitu Moha. ‫ع‬ndhum waнd
l-bnt smitha Nadia. .E
F. ‫ع‬ndoo 26 ‫ع‬am. 26 .F
G. smitha Hakima .G
H. ‫ع‬ndi juj xut. .H
I. ana deba xal! .I
hḍr liya ‫ع‬la l-famila dyalk нta nta.
ṣaнbk, Karim

Practice Text
smiti John. baba smitu Stephen u
mama smitha Judy. ‫ع‬ndi tlata d
l-xut: juj bnat u wld. xuya smitu
Brian. huwa xddam f waнd š-šarika.
xti Kathy. mzuwja u ‫ع‬ndha jooj
drari: wld u bnt. l-wld mazal ṣġir
‫ع‬ndu tlt šhur. l-bnt ‫ع‬ndha tmn snin
u kat-mši l l-mdrasa. xti ṣ-ṣġira,
Mary, mazal kat-qra f l-jami‫ع‬a.
1. bat John, šnu smitu? 1
2. u mmu, šnu smitha? 2
3. šнal d l-xut ‫ع‬nd John? 3
4. škun ṣ-ṣġir f l-‫ع‬a'ila d John? 4
5. weš bnt xt John xddama? 5
42 • Moroccan Arabic

Directions
Objective: By the end of the chapter, you will be able to:
• use prepositions to describe the locations of objects
• give and receive directions to places around town

Prepositions
to / for l until нtta l

in / at f above / on fuq

from mn below / under tнt

with
m‫ع‬a in front of qddam
(someone)
with / by / by
b facing mqabl m‫ع‬a
means of
without bla behind mura

on / about ‫ع‬la next to нda

between bin before qbl

of, belonging
d / dyal after b‫ع‬d
to

kora ṣnduq
Exercise: fin l-kora?

1 2 3

4
l-kora fuq ṣ-ṣnduq.

5 6 7
 Peace Corps / Morocco • 43

Directions
Vocabulary
hospital /
hotel l-oṭil s-sbiṭar
health center
post office l-bosṭa pharmacy l-frmasyan

train station la-gar mosque j-jam‫ع‬

l-maнṭṭa d t-telebutik
bus station public phone
l-kiran

l-maнṭṭa d
city bus stop store l-нanut
ṭ-ṭubisat

bank l-banka avenue š-šari‫ع‬

public bath l-нmmam street z-znqa

restaurant r-risṭora alley d-drb

café l-qhwa far (from) b‫ع‬id (mn)

cyber café s-siber close (to) qrib (mn)

school l-mdrasa here hna

weekly market s-suq there tmma

Expressions
Where is ... please? fin kayn(a) ... ‫ع‬afak.
weš kayn(a) ši ...
Is there a ... close? qrib(a)?
Go straight. sir nišan.

Turn right. ḍur ‫ع‬l limn.

Turn left. ḍur ‫ع‬l lisr.

Go ahead a bit. zid šwiya l qddam.

Pass the first street. fut z-znqa l-luwla.

The 2nd street, yes. z-znqa tenya iyeh.

44 • Moroccan Arabic

Dialogue
Jason u Brahim f l-maнṭṭa d l-kiran.
Jason: s-salamu ‫ع‬alaykum.

Brahim: wa ‫ع‬alaykum s-salam.

Jason: fin la-gar ‫ع‬afak?

Brahim: sir nišan нtta l z-znqa
t-talta u ḍur ‫ع‬l lisr, u
mn b‫ع‬d zid nišan нtta l
l-bar u ḍur ‫ع‬l limn.
tmma la-gar.
Jason: barak llah u fik.
Brahim: kat-tkllm l-‫ع‬rbiya
mzyan!
Jason: šwiya u ṣafi.

Brahim: weš nta fransawi?

Jason: lla, ana mirikani. lla
y-hnnik.
Brahim: bslama.

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

1. Dave is in the sbiṭar and wants to go to l-bosṭa.
2. Anna is in the maнṭṭa and wants to go to l-oṭil.
3. Stephen is in the marši and wants to go to s-siber.
4. Hakim is in the нanut and wants to go to l-нmmam.

l-н m m a m
r-ristora la gar s-siber
‫الحمّام‬ ‫الريسطورة‬ ‫ال‬ ‫السيبر‬

l-bar ‫البار‬
l-qhwa l-frmasyan l-banka
‫القهوة‬ ‫الفرمَسيان‬ ‫البَنكت‬
l-mdrasa l-marši j-jrda
‫المدرَست‬ ‫المارشي‬ ‫الجردة‬
t-telebutik

‫التليبوتيك‬ н a n u t

‫حانوث‬

l-ot
̣ i l l-bost
̣ a
j-jam‫ع‬
‫لوطيل‬ ‫البوسطت‬ ‫الجامع‬

maнt
̣̣
t a t l - k i r a n s-sbit
̣a r

‫مَحطت الكيران‬ ‫سبيطار‬