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Survival Language for Traveling in Morocco

When traveling to Morocco, you may be with a tour guide who speaks English. Regardless, it is always nice to have some survival language to communicate with shop keepers, servers, and to be prepared in case of emergency. Morocco has two national languages: Darija, the local dialect of Arabic, and French. If you speak French, Modern Standard Arabic, or another Arabic dialect, you will be able to get by in any city. There are also people who speak varying levels of English, but I wouldn't count on that for survival. Throughout Morocco, there are many other dialects spoken such as Tamazight and Tashelheet. These are mostly spoken in rural villages. Even Darija can vary across the country.


In this post, I'll share some words that you might consider learning before you travel to Morocco, in the Darija dialect that I learned, which was used in the North. Keep in mind that I am not an expert in the language, but I got by for 9 months in the country #travellikealocal. Darija is not a written language- you won't find it in any textbook to learn it. Additionally, the Arabic alphabet has some sounds that don't exist in English. I'll do my best to write the words phonetically. Also, remember that when speaking to or about a female, you should add an "a" at the end of the word when noted.


Basic Conversation

  • Hello (formal)- a salamu wa alaykum

  • Response- wa alaykum salam

  • Hello (casual)- salam

  • How are you?- ki dayr(a)? -labas?

  • I am fine- labas

  • thank God (also used to say "I am fine")- hamdulillah

  • What is your name?- shnu smitek

  • My name is- smitii

  • Nice to meet you- mitsharfin

Manners

  • Please- afak

  • Thank you- shukran

  • Sorry- smehili (male), simhiili (female)


Food

  • Food- makla

  • Drink- shrub

  • Restaurant- risto

  • Cafe- café

  • Tea- atai

  • Coffee- kahwa

  • Juice- aasir

  • Water- ilma

  • Water bottle- ilma min qra

  • Milk- halib

  • Sugar- sukkar

  • Bread- khubz

  • Couscous- couscous

  • Beans- lubia

  • Lentils- laadis

  • Salad- shlada

  • Chicken- djaj

  • Meat- al ham

  • Vegetables- khudra

  • Fruit- disir

  • Pizza- pizza

  • Cookies- gato

  • Cake- kika

  • Croissant- croissant

Eating

  • I'm full- shbaat

  • The food is delicious- al makla benina


Shopping

  • Expensive- ghalid

  • Reduce the price- naqus

  • Shirt- kamija

  • Pants- sruaal

  • Dress- kasuwa

  • Shoes- sbaat

  • Bag- sak

  • Pot- tinjra

  • Plate- tabsiil

  • Rug- zerbia

  • Pillow- usaada

Actions

  • I want to...- bghit

  • Eat- nakul

  • Drink- nshrub

  • Sleep- naas

  • Shower- nadousch

  • Wash my hands- naqui idi

  • Brush my teeth- nagsl sinani

Feelings

  • Happy- frhan(a)

  • Sad- miqulluq(a)

  • Scared- khaef(a)

  • Tired- ayan(a)

  • Bored- mumil(a)


Colors

  • Red- ahamar

  • Orange- limuni

  • Yellow- asifar

  • Green- akhadar

  • Blue- azraq

  • Purple- mauv

  • Pink- fanidi

  • Black- kahl

  • White- abiad

  • Brown- kahwi

  • Gray- armadi


Numbers

  • One- wahid

  • Two- juj

  • Three- tlata

  • Four- arbaa

  • Five- hamza

  • Six- sitta

  • Seven- sabaa

  • Eight- temenya

  • Nine- tsood

  • Ten- ashara


Safety

  • Get away from me- bad mini

  • Stop- waqaf

Health

  • Medicine- duwa

  • Allergy- hasasiya

  • Sick- miriid

  • Hospital- spital

  • Doctor- tabiib


Transportation/Directions

  • Airplane- tiara

  • Airport- matar

  • Train- al tran

  • Train Station- la gar

  • Bus- kar, tobis

  • Bus station- al matta dyal kiran

  • Bus stop- al matta dyal tobisat

  • Inner-City Taxi- petit taxi

  • Intra-City Taxi- taxi kabir

  • Stop- waqaf

  • Go- sir

  • Continue- sir nishan

  • Right- limun

  • Left- lissr

  • Here- hina

  • There- al hiih


General

  • More- zid

  • A little- shuya

  • No more- safi

  • Yes- a

  • No- la

  • Okay- waha

  • Maybe- yimkin

  • Good- mizyan

  • I like...- kayajbini...

  • I feel...- kanhasib...

  • I am...- ana...

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