How do you say yes, no, okay and that's okay in Darija?
Yes says ah or iyeh , no the ( لا ), okay wakha ( واخا ) and it's okay labas ( لاباس ). Good = mezyan , nothing = walou , why = 3lash , much = bzzaf .
Essential Moroccan words
| English | Darija | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | ah / iyeh / wah | آه / إيه |
| No | la / lla | لا |
| Okay | wakha | واخا |
| Good | mezyan | مزيان |
| Not good / bad | khayb / mashi mezyan | خايب |
| Nothing | walou | والو |
| A lot | bzzaf | بزاف |
| A little | shwiya | شوية |
| Also | 7etta (7etta ana = moi aussi) | حتى |
| With | m3a (m3aya = avec moi, m3ak = avec toi) | مع |
| Maybe | yemken | يمكن |
| Of course | b t-tabi3a / ah bla shek | بالطبيعة |
| Never | 3emmer (3emmerni = jamais je…) | عمر |
| Always | dima | ديما |
| Now | daba | دابا |
| It's okay | labas | لاباس |
| That's it / it's over | safi | صافي |
| Go / go | yallah | يالله |
| God willing | inshallah | إن شاء الله |
| With pleasure | b kol far7 / mer7ba | بكل فرح |
Wakha (okay), safi (that's enough / that's good), yallah (go) and bzzaf (a lot) are the four words that come up in all Moroccan conversations.
Ask a question in Darija
| English | Darija | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| How? | kifash ? | كيفاش؟ |
| What? | ash / shnu ? | آش / شنو؟ |
| Where? | fin ? | فين؟ |
| When? | imta / fouqash ? | إمتى / فوقاش؟ |
| How much? | sh7al ? | شحال؟ |
| Who? | shkoun ? | شكون؟ |
| Why? | 3lash ? | علاش؟ |
| Which one? | ashmen ? | آشمن؟ |
| Is that...? | wash… ? | واش؟ |
| Why not? | 3lash la ? | علاش لا؟ |
For numbers, see Darija numbers .
The most useful verbs
Darija conjugates in the present tense with the prefix kan- (je), kat- (tu), kay- (il): kanakol = I eat, katakol = you eat, kayakol = he eats.
| English | Darija | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| Go | msha (kanmshi = je vais) | مشى |
| Come | ja (kanji = je viens) | جا |
| Want | bgha (bghit = je veux) | بغى |
| Power | qder (neqder = je peux) | قدر |
| Knowledge | 3ref (kan3ref = je sais) | عرف |
| Do | dar (kandir = je fais) | دار |
| Give | 3ta (3tini = donne-moi) | عطى |
| Take | khda (khoud = prends) | خدا |
| Buy | shra (bghit nshri = je veux acheter) | شرى |
| Pay | khelles | خلص |
| Eat | kla (kanakol) | كلا |
| Drink | shreb (kanshreb) | شرب |
| Sleep | n3es | نعس |
| Speak | hder / tkellem | هضر |
| Understand | fhem (fhemt = j'ai compris) | فهم |
| Watch / see | shaf (shouf = regarde) | شاف |
| Listen | sme3 (sme3 = écoute) | سمع |
| Wait | tsenna (tsenna = attends) | تسنى |
| Call (telephone) | 3eyyet | عيط |
| Ask | sewwel (demander une info) / tleb (réclamer) | سول / طلب |
| Steal (steal) | sreq | سرق |
| Fly (bird, plane) | tar | طار |
| Living | sken (kanskon f = j'habite à) | سكن |
| Work | khdem (kankhdem) | خدم |
| Like | bgha (kanbghik = je t'aime) | بغى |
Common names in Darija
| English | Darija | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| House | dar | دار |
| Car | tomobil | طوموبيل |
| Street | zenqa | زنقة |
| City | mdina | مدينة |
| Silver | flous | فلوس |
| Work | khedma | خدمة |
| School | medrasa | مدرسة |
| Friend | sa7bi / sa7ebti | صاحبي / صاحبتي |
| Male | rajel | راجل |
| Woman | mra | مرا |
| Child | derri / weld | دري |
| Girl | bent | بنت |
| Boy | weld | ولد |
| Gift | kado / hdiya | كادو |
| Airplane | tiyara | طيارة |
| Boat | babour / flouka | بابور |
| Mosque | jame3 | جامع |
| Vacation | 3otla | عطلة |
| Princess | amira | أميرة |
| King | malik | ملك |
| Telephone | tilifoun | تيليفون |
| Door | bab | باب |
| Bedroom | bit | بيت |
| Key | sarout | ساروت |
Adjectives and adverbs
| English | Darija | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| Large | kbir | كبير |
| Small | sghir | صغير |
| Handsome / beautiful | zwin / zwina | زوين |
| New | jdid | جديد |
| Old | qdim | قديم |
| Good (food) | bnin | بنين |
| Hot | skhoun | سخون |
| Cold | bared | بارد |
| Quickly | dghya / bzerba | دغيا |
| Slowly | bshwiya | بشوية |
| Far | b3id | بعيد |
| Near | qrib | قريب |
| Dear | ghali | غالي |
| Cheap | rkhis | رخيص |
| Tired | 3iyan | عيان |
| Happy | fer7an | فرحان |
Adjectives take -a in the feminine form: kbir → kbira , zwin → zwina , jdid → jdida .
Read the numbers 3, 7, 9 in words
In Darija written in Latin letters, numbers replace Arabic sounds with no French equivalent: 3 = ع (guttural sound, as in 3lash ), 7 = ح (h very blown, as in 7amed ), 9 = ق (k deep, as in 9ehwa ), kh = خ (like the Spanish jota, khobz ), gh = غ (r grasseyé, ghali ). The alphabet and writing guide for Darija details each letter.
See also Moroccan expressions for slang and hello and thank you in Moroccan for greetings.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say yes and no in Darija?
How do you say okay in Moroccan Darija?
How do you say good in Darija?
How do you say nothing in Darija?
How do you say why in Moroccan Darija?
How do you say goodbye in Darija?
How many words do you need to speak Darija?
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