What visitors should know
Darija pronunciation and Latin-letter transcription vary by region, speaker and writing convention. Learn forms for comprehension before trying to imitate an accent, and do not use one word to infer ethnicity, Amazigh or Arab identity, education, class, city of origin, religion, or fluency in any other language.
Reviewed words and expressions
afak
In Moroccan Arabic, afak is a common politeness expression meaning ‘please’, especially when making or softening a request.
Moroccobslama
In Moroccan Arabic, bslama is a common leave-taking expression meaning ‘good-bye’ or ‘go in peace/safety’ in everyday use.
Moroccobzzaf
In Moroccan Arabic, bzzaf expresses a large amount or degree. Depending on the construction and context, English equivalents include ‘a lot’, ‘very’, or ‘too much’.
Moroccodaba
In Moroccan Arabic, daba is an everyday adverb meaning ‘now’ or ‘at this time’.
Moroccodyal
In Moroccan Arabic, dyal is a possessive linking word used after a noun to express relationships such as ‘of’ or ‘belonging to’. Possessive endings can attach to dyal, producing forms such as dyali ‘mine/my’ and dyalk ‘yours/your’ in context.
Moroccofin
In Moroccan Arabic, fin is an interrogative meaning ‘where’. The Peace Corps textbook also records fayn as a variant.
Moroccolabas
In Moroccan Arabic, labas? is a routine greeting or check-in meaning roughly ‘Are you fine?’ or ‘Everything okay?’. Labas also appears in positive replies such as labas, lhamdulillah.
Moroccoma…sh
A common Moroccan Arabic verbal negation pattern places ma- before the verb and -sh after it, creating forms comparable to English ‘don’t’, ‘doesn’t’, or ‘didn’t’ depending on the verb tense and context.
Moroccomzyan
In Moroccan Arabic, mzyan commonly means ‘good’ as an adjective and can also function adverbially with a meaning like ‘well’.
Moroccosafi
In Moroccan Arabic, safi can mark sufficiency or completion with meanings such as ‘enough’, ‘that’s all’, ‘that’s it’, or ‘finished’, depending on context.
Moroccoshhal
In Moroccan Arabic, shhal is a question word meaning ‘how much’ or ‘how many’. With prices it commonly appears after b-, as in bshhal, ‘for how much?’ or ‘how much does it cost?’.
Moroccoshnu
In Moroccan Arabic, shnu is a common interrogative meaning ‘what’. It appears in basic questions about names, objects, actions and needs.
Moroccoshukran
In Moroccan Arabic, shukran is the ordinary expression for ‘thank you’.
Moroccowach
In Moroccan Arabic, wach commonly introduces a yes-or-no question. It signals that the clause is being asked as a polar question rather than supplying the content word itself.
Moroccowakha
In Moroccan Arabic, wakha is a common acknowledgment meaning roughly ‘okay’, ‘all right’, or ‘agreed’ in everyday exchanges.
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