Quick answer
In Moroccan Darija, dyal links an object to its owner. L-ktab dyal Sara means “Sara’s book”; l-ktab dyali means “my book”. The forms dyali, dyalk, dyalu, dyalha, dyalna, dyalkum, dyalhum respectively indicate “mine, yours (one person), his, hers, ours, yours (several people), theirs”.
Dyali, dyalk and other forms
| English | Darija | Example with “book” |
|---|---|---|
| My / mine | dyali | l-ktab dyali |
| Your / yours (one person) | dyalk | l-ktab dyalk |
| His / belonging to him | dyalu | l-ktab dyalu |
| Her / hers | dyalha | l-ktab dyalha |
| Our / ours | dyalna | l-ktab dyalna |
| Your / yours (several people) | dyalkum | l-ktab dyalkum |
| Their / theirs | dyalhum | l-ktab dyalhum |
The ending identifies the owner, rather than the grammatical gender of the object. Use dyalu for a male owner and dyalha for a female owner. This distinction helps you follow who someone is talking about.
Build a sentence with dyal
The starting model is: noun with its article + dyal + name of the person. For example, l-ktab dyal Sara is Sara's book. When the owner is already known, we use the corresponding form: l-ktab dyalha .
The article may sound like l- or by the doubling of the following consonant. This is why not all examples start visually the same. Learn the noun with its article and pronunciation, then add possession.
We can also identify an object without repeating the whole noun: hada dyali means “this is mine”. To say "this is not mine", use hada mashi dyali . The guide to negation explains this second pattern.
Why are some endings attached directly to the noun?
Darija also allows a suffix to be attached directly to certain nouns. With ktab ("book"), ktabi means "my book", as does l-ktab dyali . These are two possession constructions to recognize, not two words to add.
You may already know smiti (“my name”), smitk (“your name”) or khuya (“my brother”). Endings can cause a change in the form of the noun, especially for some words that end in a vowel. Do not form every possessive noun by copying the pattern of ktabi .
To get started, take some frequent expressions from the family vocabulary and from the guide to introducing yourself . Then check the full form you want to use.
How to ask “whose book is this”?
Dyal mn had l-ktab ? asks “whose book is this?” You can answer dyali (“mine”), dyal Sara (“Sara’s”) or mashi dyali (“not mine”). The object is already identified by the question; a short answer becomes possible.
Do not confuse this question with “who?” on its own. Here we are looking for an owner. The guide to question words allows you to compare a question about a person, a place and an owner.
Exercises: find the owner
- The book belongs to Sara: complete l-ktab … Sara .
- You say the book is yours: complete l-ktab … .
- The book belongs to a woman already mentioned: choose dyalu or dyalha .
- You say that the object is not yours: complete hada … dyali .
See correction
- L-ktab dyal Sara.
- L-ktab dyali.
- Dyalha. The ending indicates the owner.
- Hada mashi dyali.
Repeat the exercise in pairs with a real object. Change the owner each turn and ask the question before answering. This variation helps you distinguish the meaning of each ending.
Frequently asked questions
Does Dyali mean “my” or “mine”?
Both translations are possible depending on the sentence: l-ktab dyali means "my book", while hada dyali means "this is mine".
Does Dyalk change depending on who you talk to?
In the starting table in the Peace Corps manual, dyalk is singular and dyalkum is plural. Pronunciation and spelling may vary; keep the expressions learned with their context.
Sources and method
Grammar references checked against Moroccan Arabic Textbook, Peace Corps Morocco, 2011 edition , printed pages 8, 13 and 17. The explanations, selection of examples and exercises on this page are a teaching adaptation by SayDarija; they are not an official Peace Corps assessment.
Transcription is simplified for beginners. Usages and spellings vary according to speakers and regions. This page has not been independently validated by a teacher; to report an error or suggest regional usage, contact SayDarija .