Moroccan Arabic phrases for travellers: the Darija words you will actually use
Greetings, polite refusals, prices, taxis and meals: the Moroccan Arabic (Darija) phrases travellers really use, in one simple spelling, plus a few Amazigh words for the Atlas.
By Ismail6 min read
The Moroccan Arabic phrases you will use most are the greetings s-salamu 3alaykum (hello) and labas? (all well?), shukran (thank you), 3afak (please), la, shukran (no, thank you) and bsh7al? (how much?). Moroccan Arabic, called Darija, is quite different from the Arabic of textbooks, so this list keeps to what people really say, sorted by the moments of a trip, with one simple spelling throughout.
How to read these words
Darija is mostly spoken, and when many Moroccans type it on a phone they use Latin letters plus a few digits for sounds that have no letter. We use the same system as the Peace Corps Morocco textbook:
- 3 is a sound squeezed from deep in the throat (the Arabic letter ʿayn). If it defeats you, a plain "a" will do: 3afak comes out as "afak".
- 7 is a strong, breathy h from the back of the throat, like breathing on your glasses to clean them.
- kh is the "ch" of Scottish loch, gh a gargled French "r", q a "k" made further back.
- sh is as in she, j like the "s" in pleasure, u like the "oo" in food, i like the "ee" in meet.
- A doubled letter is held longer (bzzaf), and a hyphen joins little words such as l- ("the") to the next word.
Some words have no vowel between their consonants, like bslama or mzyan: say them as written, without adding sounds. Nobody expects perfect pronunciation, and a few words go a long way. In shops, hotels and taxis, French is the usual fallback; our guide to the languages spoken in Morocco explains who speaks what, and where.
Greetings and politeness
In Morocco you greet before you ask anything, even a price. Greetings take a little time, and many people put a hand on their heart after a handshake; you can do the same.
| Darija | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| s-salamu 3alaykum | peace be upon you | the all-purpose hello, often shortened to salam; the reply is wa 3alaykum s-salam |
| labas? | all well? | right after hello; answer labas, l-7amdullah (fine, thank God) |
| sba7 l-khir / msa l-khir | good morning / good afternoon or evening | answer with the same words |
| mr7ba bik | welcome | what your host or a waiter says to you |
| shukran / shukran bzzaf | thank you / thank you very much | all day long |
| barak llah u fik | God bless you | a warmer thank you, for hospitality or a favour |
| 3afak | please | after a request: atay 3afak, tea please |
| sm7 li / sm7i li | excuse me, sorry (to a man / to a woman) | to get past or to apologise |
| bslama | goodbye | when you leave a shop or a home |
When you say shukran, you may hear bla jmil or la shukran 3la wajib in return: both mean "you're welcome".
Yes, no, and saying no nicely
- iyeh: yes. la: no.
- wakha: OK, agreed.
- safi: that's it, enough, done. Handy when a seller keeps adding to your bag.
- mashi mushkil: no problem.
- la, shukran: no, thank you.
La, shukran is the phrase you will use most in the medina. When a shop tout or an unofficial guide offers his services, say it with a smile and keep walking at the same pace: you don't owe an explanation, and stopping to argue only makes the conversation longer. Our guide to safety in Morocco explains the common tricks.
Three phrases come from faith, and you will hear them constantly:
- inshallah (God willing) goes with almost any plan for the future, even a firm one: n-shufk ghdda inshallah, see you tomorrow, God willing. It is meant sincerely, and you can use it too.
- l-7amdullah (thanks be to God) follows good news, a meal or a simple "how are you?".
- bismillah (in the name of God) is said before eating, drinking, setting off or starting work.
In the souk: prices and numbers
- bsh7al?: how much?
- ghali bzzaf: too expensive.
Bargaining is a skill of its own, and a few numbers help you follow it:
| Number | Darija | Number | Darija |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | wa7d | 9 | ts3ud |
| 2 | juj | 10 | 3shra |
| 3 | tlata | 20 | 3shrin |
| 4 | rb3a | 50 | khmsin |
| 5 | khmsa | 100 | miya |
| 6 | stta | 200 | miyatayn |
| 7 | sb3a | 1,000 | alf |
| 8 | tmnya |
A dirham is a drhm: twenty dirhams is 3shrin drhm.
The ryal trap
Many Moroccans still count in ryal, an old unit that no longer exists as a coin: 1 dirham = 20 ryal. A stallholder who says miya may mean 100 ryal, which is 5 dirhams, not 100. You hear ryal mostly in local markets, at fruit and vegetable stalls and between Moroccans; supermarkets, tourist shops and taxi meters work in dirhams. Property prices are sometimes quoted in centimes, 100 to the dirham. If a price sounds absurdly high, ask drhm wlla ryal? (dirhams or ryal?). Our guide to money in Morocco covers cash, cards and ATMs.
Getting around
- fin kayn … 3afak?: where is …, please?
- bghit n-mshi l …: I want to go to …
- sir nishan: go straight on.
- dur 3l limn / dur 3l lisr: turn right / turn left.
- hna: here. wqf hna 3afak: stop here, please.
- khddm l-kuntur 3afak: please switch on the meter, in a petit taxi in town. L-kuntur comes from the French compteur.
- balak!: make way! Porters, cart pushers and moped riders shout it in the narrow lanes of the medina. Step aside and let them pass.
Eating and drinking
- l-ma: water. atay: tea, usually mint tea.
- bla skkar / shwiya d s-skkar: no sugar / a little sugar. Mint tea is often sweetened in the pot, so ask early.
- l-makla bnina: the food is delicious.
- shb3t, l-7amdullah: I'm full, thank God. The polite way to stop a generous host refilling your plate; you may need to say it twice.
- lla y-khlf: may God repay you, what you say to your host after a meal.
- l-7sab 3afak: the bill, please.
If you don't eat meat or have an allergy, the phrases to explain it are in our guide to vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free eating in Morocco.
Words you will hear around you
- zwin: beautiful, nice. mzyan: good.
- yallah: let's go, come on.
- khuya / khti: my brother / my sister, also a friendly way to address someone.
- a sidi / a lalla: sir / madam, the polite way shopkeepers and waiters address you.
- 7shuma: shame, impropriety. Parents say it to children who misbehave, and the idea lies behind much of what is or isn't done in public.
- ma-fhmt-sh: I don't understand. b shwiya 3afak: slowly, please.
A few words of Amazigh for the Atlas and the desert
In Atlas villages and much of the south, the home language is often Amazigh (Berber), not Arabic. Around Imlil and in the western High Atlas, people speak Tachelhit; in the Middle Atlas, the eastern High Atlas and the oases around Merzouga, Central Atlas Tamazight. Words differ from one to the other, and Darija works almost everywhere, but a word or two of Amazigh is always welcome.
| Amazigh | Meaning | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| azul | hello | a modern greeting spread by the Amazigh cultural movement; in villages, s-salamu 3alaykum is still the everyday hello |
| tanmmirt | thank you | also modern, often written tanmirt; many people still say shukran or barak llah u fik |
| labas? | all well? | the same as in Darija |
| yah / uhu | yes / no | Tachelhit; in Tamazight, iyyah / uhu |
| aman | water | in both |
| atay | tea | in both |
To learn more about the people behind the language, read our guide to the Amazigh of Morocco. On our Imlil day trip, lunch with our guide's family gives you a chance to say azul and tanmmirt to people who will appreciate it.
If you want to go further, the free Peace Corps Morocco textbook is the reference we checked this list against. And for a first practice session in the souks with a local beside you, our private guided tour of Marrakech is a good start.