Have you ever wondered how to say “good morning” in Darija? Or struggled to find a proper response to someone saying “labas?” to you in Morocco? This page is designed to provide you with answers to all your Moroccan greetings-related questions. If you’re planning a visit to Morocco, these are some of the easy phrases you can use in situations to show people you have learned a little of the language. The first things to learn in basic “darija” Arabic are greetings. On this page, we have prepared for you 20 Moroccan Arabic greetings phrases. Hopefully, you will find on this page answers to all your Moroccan greetings-related questions.
The first things to learn in basic “darija” Arabic are greetings. I’m going to work through the basics you’ll need to deal with day-to-day life.
Moroccan Arabic is typically not written in Arabic script - there are some sounds that don’t exist as Roman letters so you’ll often see them written with a number like 3, 7, or 9. I won’t get ahead of myself and am not using any of those words here. I’ve transliterated the pronunciation of these words as to how they sound to my English-speaking ear.
This is also where most learning resources end. One will be the overview of terms. Another will be some type of exercise, game, or other reinforcement.
Moroccan Arabic: 20 Essential Moroccan Arabic Phrases to use today!
20 Essential Moroccan Arabic Greetings
Here's a list of 20 essential Moroccan Arabic greetings to get you started:
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| English | Transcribed Moroccan Arabic | Moroccan Darija in the Arabic Alphabet |
|---|---|---|
| Peace be upon you | Essalamo 3alikom Note: This greeting is sometimes shortened to “essalam”. | السلام عليكم |
| Peace be upon you, too | Wa 3alikom essalam | وعليكم السلام |
| Good morning | Sba7 elkhir / Sba7 ennor | صْباح الخير / صْباح النور |
| Good evening | Msa elkhir / Msa ennor | مسا الخير/ مسا النور |
| How are you doing? | Ki dayr? (Addressing a male) Ki dayra? (Addressing a female) | كي داير؟ كي دايرة؟ |
| Are you doing well? | Labas 3lik? | لا باس عليك؟ |
| I am fine, praise be to God. | Labas, el7amdo lillah | لاباس، الحمد لله |
| And you? | W nta? (Addressing a male) W nti? (Addressing a female) | و نتا؟ و نْتي؟ |
| What about the family? | Mmaline eddar? / El3a2ila? | مّالين الدّار؟ / العائلة؟ |
| What about the kids? | Elwlidat? | الوليدات؟ |
| All is fine. | Kolshi bikhir | كُلشي بِخير |
| May Allah protect you. | Rebbi ikhellik Note: This phrase is used as a thank you. | ربي يخليك |
| See you tomorrow. | Netshawfo ghedda | نْتشاوْفو غْدّا |
| Bye. | Beslama | بْسْلامة |
| Have a blessed day. | Neharek mebrouk | نهارك مبروك |
| Thank you. | Shukran | شكرا |
| God bless you. | Baraka Allaho fik Note: This expression can be used as a thank you. | بارك الله فيك |
| God willing. | Inshallah | إن شاء الله |
| Any news about... | Shi khbar 3la... | شي خبار على... |
| What’s up? | Ash kat3awd? (Addressing a male) Ash kat3awdi? (Addressing a female) | أش كتعاود؟ أش كتعاودي؟ |
There are many, many more useful expressions and phrases to learn but this is a small sampling to get you started!
Additional Useful Phrases
- Labas? - "Are you fine?"
- Culshi mzien? - "Everything is good?"
- Culshi mzien. - "Everyone is good."
- Inta? - "And you? (male)"
- Intiya? - "And you? (female)"
- Fimt? - "Do you understand? (male)"
- Fimti? - "Do you understand? (female)"
- Kayna…..? - "Is there...?"
- Atini…. - "Give me...."
Exercise - Moroccan Arabic Greetings Phrases
Translate the following dialogue to Moroccan Arabic:
Jannat: Hello.
Jamila: Hi.
Jannat: How are you?
Jamila: I am fine, praise be to God. And you?
Jannat: All is fine. Thank you.
Jamila: What about the family?
Jannat: All is fine. Praise be to God.
Jamila: See you tomorrow.
Jannat: Have a nice day.
Exercise Solutions - Moroccan Arabic Greetings Phrases
Jannat: Essalam: السلام
Jamila: Essalam: السلام
Jannat: Ki dayra?: كي دايرة؟
Jamila: Labas, el7amdo lillah. W nti?: لاباس الحمد لله. ونتي؟
Jannat: Kolshi bikhir. Rebbi ikhellik: كلشي بخير. ربي يخليك
Jamila: El3a2ila?: العائلة؟
Jannat: Kolshi bikhir. El7amdo lillah: كلشي بخير.
Jamila: Netshawfo ghedda: نتشوفو غدا
Jannat: Neharek mebrouk: نهارك مبروك
Tips for Learning Moroccan Arabic
I’ve had a lot of people ask over the years for resources to learn Arabic, specifically Moroccan Arabic. There’s not a lot out there and honestly, the best way I’ve learned has been to live here. I know that’s not a reality for everyone.
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Here are some tips to help you learn Moroccan Arabic:
- Practice with native speakers: One of the best ways to learn any language is by speaking with native speakers.
- Watch Moroccan TV shows and movies: Watching TV shows and movies in Darija can be a fun way to learn the language and pick up new vocabulary. You can find a variety of Moroccan TV shows and movies on streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime. The Moroccan national channel 2M also has many video options online.
- Listen to Moroccan music: Listening to Moroccan music can be a great way to learn new words and phrases in Darija.
- Practice, practice, practice - the more you use your new language skills, the better you’ll become at them.
- Be patient - learning a new language takes time, so don’t expect to be fluent overnight - or even have some of these words stick.
Remember, the key to learning any language is practice and persistence.
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