Survival Phrases - Arabic (Part 1) Lessons 1-30

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Start speaking Arabic in minutes, and grasp the language, culture and customs in just minutes more with Survival Phrases - Arabic, a completely new way to master the basics of Arabic! Survival Phrases - Arabic will have you speaking with proper pronunciation from the very first lesson and arm you with cultural insight and other information to utterly shock and amaze your friends travel companions and people you meet along the way.

In Survival Phrases - Arabic you will master Arabic and protocol for the following situations:

Part 1 (Lessons 1-30)

★ Basic Greetings, etiquette and manners

★ Basic survival communication for every situation

★ Ordering the food you want at restaurants

★ Table manners that will impress!

★ Basic Counting

★ Internet Cafe, not as easy as you think!

★ Finding your way in the local market and SHOPPING

★ Money exchange and tips on money usage

★ Taking the subway, long distance trains, and buses with confidence

Be sure to read the lesson notes for additional tips and information that will make learning basic Arabic and Arabic culture even easier.

Best regards,

Survival Phrases - Arabic

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P.P.S. Continue on with Survival Phrases - Arabic (Part 2) Lessons 31-60 also available for purchase.

In Part 2 the following are just a few of the topics you'll master:

★ Taking a taxi without being taken advantage of

★ Getting around and asking directions and actually understanding the answer!

★ Learning Arabic using Arabic, and making lots of friends in the process

★ Making the most of a hotel stay, and exploring alternatives to the beaten path

★ Visiting the Post office and mailing thing home

★ Phone rentals and phone cards, don't travel without one!

★ Critical phrases for vegetarians and allergy suffers!

★ Talking to the doctor and explaining symptoms correctly

★ Getting the right medicine

★ Expressing yourself with adjectives and being understood

★ Home visits and proper protocol that will "wow" hosts

★ Getting help, this may be the most useful phrase you ever learn

Lesson 1: Thank You! ﺷﻜﺮا Shukran

LESSON NOTES

Wherever your destination maybe, manners are a must! And in this respect, Morocco is no different. So in our very first lesson, we'll be taking a look at a phrase there is no excuse not to bring with you to Morocco. Again, I'll stress this over and over, a little bit of the language can go such a long way!

The word “Shukran” literally means “thanks.” This is .(ﺷﻜﺮا) ”In Arabic "Thank you" is “Shukran rather casual and can be used in restaurants, at shops, and about everywhere else.

Now in Arabic there is a more formal way to express one’s gratitude. Let’s take a look at it.

The first word of the (ﺷﻜﺮا ﺟﺰﻳﻼ)”The equivalent of “Thank you very much” is “Shukran Jazilan ”means “Thanks” as we learned earlier. This is followed by “Jazilan (ﺷﻜﺮا) ”phrase “Shukran mean “thanks a (ﺷﻜﺮا ﺟﺰﻳﻼ) ”which means “a lot.” So, both words together “Shukran Jazilan ,(ﺟﺰﻳﻼ) lot.”

This phrase is quite formal and is usually used for writing “thank you” notes, or thanking someone when they invite you to their home for lunch or dinner, as well as in business contexts and other formal situations.

On the other hand, for very special occasions when someone goes above and beyond the call of being kind, when someone is extremely generous, or for any other time you're extremely اﷲ ﻓﻴﻚ) ”grateful, we have the following phrase to express extreme gratitude: “Baaraka Allahu fik and this can mean something like “Thank you very much” although the literal meaning is (ﺑﺎﺭك means “to bless.” This is followed (ﺑﺎﺭك) ”quite different. Let me explain. The first word “Baaraka which means “in (ﻓﻴﻚ) ”which is “God” in Arabic. The last word in this phrase is “fik ,(اﷲ) ”by “Allahu you”. The three words put together “Baaraka Allahu fik” literally mean “God bless you”, which in many situations can be used to say “thank you very much.”

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English Baaraka Allahu fik God bless you / Thank you ﺑﺎﺭك اﷲ ﻓﻴﻚ very much Shukran Jazilan Thanks a lot ﺷﻜﺮا ﺟﺰﻳﻼ

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English Shukran Thanks ﺷﻜﺮا Baaraka To bless ﺑﺎﺭك Allahu God اﷲ Fik In you ﻓﻴﻚ

QUICK TIP

In instances when Moroccans want to express extreme gratitude, they usually place their right hand on their chest while saying thank you. This gesture indicates that it's really coming from the heart. It's not required, and don't think about it if it doesn't come out naturally, but if you see people doing it, that's what it means.

QUICK TIP 2

Since this is your very first encounter with Arabic, here is a quick info on this rich language and on what else is spoken in Morocco. Classical Arabic is Morocco's official language, but the country's distinctive Arabic dialect (also called Moroccan Arabic) is the most widely spoken in Morocco. You’ll find me juggling between both Classical and Moroccan Arabic to offer you the most relevant Survival Phrases. In addition, about 10 million Moroccans, mostly in rural areas, speak Berber either as a first language or bilingually with the spoken Arabic dialect. French which remains Morocco's unofficial third language, is taught universally and still serves as Morocco's primary language of commerce, science and economics; it is also widely used in education and government. Many Moroccans in the northern part of the country speak Spanish. English, while still far behind French and Spanish in terms of number of speakers, is rapidly becoming the foreign language of choice among educated youth.

Lesson 2: You're Welcome! اﻟﻌﻔﻮ afwع al

LESSON NOTES

In today’s lesson we continue on with basic etiquette. Moroccans are exceptionally hospitable, and phrases of gratitude and those related are used at an extremely high frequency. During your travels in Morocco, while you may not get the chance to use the Arabic phrase for "You're welcome" there is a very good chance you'll hear it. So let’s cover this up.

Look at Quick Tip #2 below to learn how to read the .(اﻟﻌﻔﻮ )”afwع You're welcome" is “al" afw” literally means “sorry” but it’s also used to mean “you’reع transcription. The word “al welcome.” which(ﻻ ﺷﻜﺮﻋﻠﯽ ﻭاﺟﺐ) ”ala wajibع Another way of responding to a phrase of gratitude is “La shukra (ﺷﻜﺮ)”means “no”. Next is “shukra (ﻻ) ”means “not at all” or “don’t mention it.” The first word “la which in Arabic is “thanks”. So up to here, we have “la shukra” and literally this means “no which means “on” or “upon”. The last word (ﻋﻠﯽ) ”alaع“ thanks”. Let's take a look at the next ala wajib” literally meansع means “duty.” So all together the phrase “La shukra (ﻭاﺟﺐ) ”wajib“ “Don’t thank me, it’s my duty” and is used to mean “not at all.”

In fact, Morocco is a very collectivistic society and the sense of community is very important. So when somebody has a problem or needs help with something, it is considered everyone’s duty to do what they can to help them. And this is regardless of whether you know the person or ala wajib”, which againع not. That’s why when you thank someone you’ll usually hear “la shukra means, “don’t thank me, it’s my duty.”

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English afw You’re welcomeع Al اﻟﻌﻔﻮ ala wajib Not at all / Don’t mention itع La shukra ﻻ ﺷﻜﺮﻋﻠﯽ ﻭاﺟﺐ Shukran Thanks ﺷﻜﺮا

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English La No ﻻ Shukr / shukra Thanks ﺷﻜﺮ

Arabic Romanization English ala On / uponع ﻋﻠﯽ Wajib Duty ﻭاﺟﺐ

QUICK TIP

In the previous lesson we learned that "thanks" in Arabic is "shukran". And today we used ala waajib." Both words are actually the same. Weع shukra" instead of "shukran" in "Laa shukra" just omit the "n" sound at the end of "shukran" when it is used in the middle of a sentence.

QUICK TIP 2

The large majority of consonants in Arabic are similar to sounds we have in English. The vowels in Arabic are also similar to English vowels. But there are eight consonants in Arabic that we do not have in English. It may take you some time to pronounce these correctly but make sure you refer to the audio files to listen to how these sounds are correctly pronounced. At this point, what's important is that you learn the transcription character for these new sounds. Today's sound which can be approximated by pronouncing the a in "cat", with the "ع" phrase has the tongue against the back of the mouth and from as deep in the throat as possible.

Lesson 3: Please (This Please) ﻫﺬا Hada

LESSON NOTES

Today's phrase will help you take matters into your own hands! In this lesson we’ll take a look at “Please”, as in asking for something. This is a very useful phrase when you travel, because when you see something you like, you’ll be able to buy it right away. Imagine you walk into a restaurant and there are all these pictures of appetizing dishes right in front of you. You know what dish you want, but do you know how to order it? Or, you pass by a souvenir shop and you see the perfect present for your friends back home. Again, you know what you want, but do you know how to ask for it?

The most rudimentary way of using “please” is . (ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ) ”In Arabic “Please” is “Min fadlik pointing at something while saying “min fadlik”, but let's try and build this up a bit, shall we? Let's ”In English, “this .(ﻫﺬا ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ) ”start with the expression "This please" which is “hada min fadlik comes before “please”. In Arabic the word order is the same. The Arabic word for “this” is “hada” ”.which is “please (ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ) ”and it precedes “min fadlik (ﻫﺬا)

The .(ﻫﺪاك) ”Looking at the word for “this” warrants a look at the word for “that” which is “hadak Now remember that throughout .(ﻫﺪاك ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ) ”phrase “That please” becomes “hadak min fadlik these lessons, we’ll be learning Arabic that is as close to the Spoken Arabic as possible to maximize your chances of being understood during your trip. And this is why we’re using “hadak which is “that” in Classical Arabic. “Th” in (ﺫﻟﻚ) ”that” in Spoken Arabic) instead of “thalika“) ”ﻫﺪاك the word “thalika” is pronounced like the English “th” in “that”.

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English (.Hada min fadlik / This please (masc ﻫﺬا ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ afakع Hada ﻫﺬاﻋﻔﺎك (.Hadi min fadlik / This please (fem ﻫﺬي ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ afakع Hadi ﻫﺬي ﻋﻔﺎك (.Hadak min fadlik / That please (masc ﻫﺪاك ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ afakع Hadak ﻫﺪاك ﻋﻔﺎك (.Hadik min fadlik/ That please (fem ﻫﺪﻳﻚ ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ afakع Hadik ﻫﺪﻳﻚ ﻋﻔﺎك Hadu min fadlik / These please ﻫﺪو ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ afakع Hadu ﻫﺪو ﻋﻔﺎك

Arabic Romanization English Haduk min fadlik / Those please ﻫﺪوك ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ afakع Haduk ﻫﺪوك ﻋﻔﺎك

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English (.Hada This (masc ﻫﺬا (.Hadi This (fem ﻫﺬي (.Hadu These (plur ﻫﺪو (.Hadak That (masc ﻫﺪاك (.Hadik That (fem ﻫﺪﻳﻚ (.Haduk Those (plur ﻫﺪوك (Min fadlik Please (Standard ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ (afak Please (Spokenع ﻋﻔﺎك

QUICK TIP

All nouns in Arabic are either masculine or feminine. So let's take you a step forward and learn the different forms of demonstrative pronouns in Arabic.

”this please -> “hada min fadlik / (ﻫﺬا) This (masc.): hada

”this please -> “hadi min fadlik / (ﻫﺪي) This (fem.): hadi

”these please -> “hadu min fadlik / (ﻫﺪو) These (plur.): hadu

”that please -> “hadak min fadlik / (ﻫﺪاك) That (masc.): hadak

”that please -> “hadik min fadlik / (ﻫﺪﻳﻚ) That (fem.): hadik

”those please -> “haduk min fadlik / (ﻫﺪوك) Those (plur.): haduk

QUICK TIP 2

All Moroccans understand "min fadlik" since it's the Standard Arabic word for "Please." It's also a polite way of saying it. In Spoken Arabic across Morocco, however, people are more likely to use afak". It's more casual and it's totally okay to use it in shops, restaurants and aboutع" the word afak" is closely pronounced as "aafak". If you're new to Survivalع" .everything else in daily life Phrases, make sure you refer to the Quick Tip of the previous lesson in which I talked about how ".afakع So the phrase "This please" in Moroccan Arabic is "Hada ."ع" to pronounce the sound

Lesson 4: Basic Greetings اﻟﺴﻼﻢ ﻋﻠﻴﻜﻢ laykumع as-salaamu

LESSON NOTES

Greetings are very important in every country and in many situations. Even if you're completely new to the place you're visiting, and even if you're not interested in starting a whole conversation, being able to say "hello" and "good morning" to your hotel clerk, room staff, or neighbor would be well appreciated. And as there are quite a few phrases to cover, let's jump right in.

If there is one expression that can be used as a universal greeting, it’s the phrase “as-salaamu (اﻟﺴﻼﻢ) ”pronounced as “as-salaamu alaykum.” The first word “as-salaamu ,(اﻟﺴﻼﻢ ﻋﻠﻴﻜﻢ) ”laykumع means “upon you.” Put together, “as-slaamu (ﻋﻠﻴﻜﻢ) ”laykumع“ means “peace.” The second word alaykum” literally means “peace be upon you”, and is used to say “hello”. laykum” many many times, so you wantع When in Morocco, you’re going to hear “as-salaamu which also literally (ﻋﻠﻴﻚ اﻟﺴﻼﻤﻢ) ”laykumu s-salaamع“ to know how to respond to that. You say means “peace be upon you”, but in a slightly different form. Use it at all times as a response when greeted. You’ll come across as polite and likable.

The .(ﺻﺒﺎح اﻟﺨﻴﺮ) ”Now, let’s tackle time-specific greetings. “Good morning” is “Sabaah al-khayr which means ,(اﻟﺨﻴﺮ) ”means “morning.” This is followed by “al-khayr (ﺻﺒﺎح) ”first word “sabaah literally mean “morning of (ﺻﺒﺎح اﻟﺨﻴﺮ) ”goodness.” Both words together, “sabaah al-khayr“ goodness”.

When someone greets you with “sabaah al-khayr”, meaning “good morning”, you respond using the same expression “sabaah al-khayr.” That’s pretty simple, isn’t it?

As for “good afternoon”, there is no such an expression in Arabic. You can use the expression we learned earlier “as-salaamu alaykum” which means “hello”, or you can use the same expression used to say “good evening.” means (ﻣﺴﺎء) ”’The first word “masaa .(ﻣﺴﺎء اﻟﺨﻴﺮ)”The evening greeting is “masaa’ al-khayr is “goodness.” The whole phrase literally means “evening of (اﻟﺨﻴﺮ) ”evening” and “al-khayr“ goodness” or “good evening.” Again, when greeted with “masaa’ al-khayr” (good evening), respond by saying the same “masaa’ al-khayr” (good evening) in your turn.

At the workplace it is common to greet your colleagues and superiors with “sabaah al-khayr”(good morning) or “masaa’ al-kahyr” (good evening) depending on the time of the day. If you walk into a meeting, you can use the all-purpose “as-salaamu alaykum”, which means “hello.”

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English alaykum Upon you ﻋﻠﻴﻜﻢ sabaah morning ﺻﺒﺎح As-salaamu alaykum Peace be upon you اﻟﺴﻼﻢ ﻋﻠﻴﻜﻢ (used to say hello) Alaykumu s-salaam Peace be upon you too ﻋﻠﻴﻜﻢ اﻟﺴﻼﻢ (used to respond to the greeting above) Sabaah al-khayr Good morning ﺻﺒﺎح اﻟﺨﻴﺮ Masaa’ al-khayr Good evening ﻣﺴﺎء اﻟﺨﻴﺮ

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English As-salaamu Peace اﻟﺴﻼﻢ Masaa evening ﻣﺴﺎء Al-khayr goodness اﻟﺨﻴﺮ

QUICK TIP

I explained in lesson #2 that there are 8 consonants in Arabic that .(خ) "Today's new sound is "kh we do not have in English. "Kh" is one of them. This is pronounced as "ch" in the German "Bach." Do some practice while you listen to today's voice lesson. And better get used to it, you'll hear it a lot!

Another symbol I used and that you will often find in my transcription is the apostrophe ( ’ ) as in the word masaa’ (evening). When you see an apostrophe, it indicates a “glottal stop” which is the break between vowels as heard in the English exclamation “uh oh.” That is to say, if you see an apostrophe you should not connect the sounds before the apostrophe with the sounds after the .(ء) apostrophe. Pronounce them with a break in the middle. In Arabic it’s written as

QUICK TIP 2

The expression we learned today “as-salaamu alaykum” is very useful in Morocco and can be used in all other Arabic-speaking countries as well. You can use it in restaurants, shops, museums, banks, and anywhere else you go. It’s truly your all-time favorite. Now, among friends and in casual contexts, we tend to shorten it to just the first word “s-salaam”, meaning “peace.” And to sound like a native, pronounce it using the phonetic sound “a” as in “cat”.

Lesson 5: Parting greetings (Goodbye) ﻣﻊ اﻟﺴﻼﻤﺔ maa s-salaama

LESSON NOTES

Last time we learned about basic greetings and how to say hello when you meet someone. Being able to say good bye to someone the proper way is equally important. Today, we’ll introduce parting greetings. So let’s take a look at some expressions.

(ﻣﻊ اﻟﺴﻼﻤﺔ) ”a s-salaamaعA basic parting expression that can be used for all occasions is “ma means “with” and the second (ﻣﻊ) ”aعwhich literally means “go in peace”. The first word “ma means “peace.” Make sure you stress on the “s” to pronounce the word (اﻟﺴﻼﻤﺔ) ”word “s-salaama correctly (that’s why the letter is repeated twice in the transcription). This expression is widely used to say goodbye and it may be the only expression you need to remember.

Now, usually when you say goodbye, you shake hands with people you’re saying goodbye to a s-salaama.” Be sure to smile and be genuine when you say it, because itعwhile saying “ma means that you enjoyed that person’s company. Also, it’s totally ok to say goodbye as many times as you wish. Chances are, people will usually stand and wait until you’re totally gone ”a s-salaamaعbefore they leave themselves. While walking away, wave your hand and shout “ma one last time before you’re out of sight. Don’t be surprised if goodbyes take longer than you’d expect. It’s a sign of hospitality.

(ﺗﺼﺒﺢ ﻋﻠﯽ ﺧﻴﺮ) ”ala khayrع When parting or saying goodbye at night, there is the greeting “tusbih is a (ﺗﺼﺒﺢ)”which means “good night.” Let's take a closer look at each of the words. “Tusbih which is “on.” The (ﻋﻠﯽ) ”alaع“ conjugated form of something like “become.” This is followed by ﻋﻠﯽ ﺧﻴﺮ) ”ala khayrع means “good.” So all together the expression “tusbih (ﺧﻴﺮ) ”last word “khayr ”.literally means “become on good”, or simply, “have a good night (ﺗﺼﺒﺢ

Now, this phrase is used to address a man. To address a woman, we just need to put the ”and the expression “good night (ﺗﺼﺒﺤﻲ) ”conjugated verb “tusbih” into the feminine form “tusbihi ala khayr.” For a group of people, we simply replace the conjugated verb withع becomes “tusbihi ”.ala khayrع and the phrase becomes “tusbihu (ﺗﺼﺒﺤﻮ) ”tusbihu“

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English (a s-salaama Go in peace (good byeعMa ﻣﻊ اﻟﺴﻼﻤﺔ (.Tusbih You become (masc ﺗﺼﺒﺢ (.Tusbihi You become (fem ﺗﺼﺒﺤﻲ

Arabic Romanization English (Tusbihu You become (plural ﺗﺼﺒﺤﻮ (.Tusbih ala khayr Good night (masc ﺗﺼﺒﺢ ﻋﻠﯽ ﺧﻴﺮ (.Tusbihi ala khayr Good night (fem ﺗﺼﺒﺤﻲ ﻋﻠﯽ ﺧﻴﺮ (Tusbihu ala khayr Good night (plural ﺗﺼﺒﺤﻮ ﻋﻠﯽ ﺧﻴﺮ ila l-liqaa’ So long اﻟﯽ اﻟﻠﻘﺎء

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English a WithعMa ﻣﻊ s-salaama Peace اﻟﺴﻼﻤﺔ ala Onع ﻋﻠﯽ Khayr Good ﺧﻴﺮ

QUICK TIP

In Arabic there is another way of saying goodbye, especially if you know you’re going to meet This phrase can be used both .(اﻟﯽ اﻟﻠﻘﺎء) ”’that person again. In that case, you say “ila l-liqaa among friends and in a more formal gathering. Literally, it means “so long” or “until we meet again.” This is a handy expression too, so make sure you memorize it.

QUICK TIP 2

Yes you noticed! There are two new letters highlighted in red in today's lesson and this means that the sounds are new to the English alphabet and that we need to learn how to pronounce them nicely. First is the "h" sound in "tusbih." Arabic has two "h" sounds. One is the English 'h' but pronounced deeper in the throat like a raspy (ح) 'as in 'he'. The other is like the English 'h (ه) whisper. And this latter is the sound we hear in "tusbih, tusbihi, and tusbihu." sound in the phrase ('ila l-liqaa') and this is the most challenging of (ق) "Then we have the "q them all. It's closest to the English 'k' but pronounced further back in the throat. Too confusing? Hear me say the words on the audio file.

Lesson 6: Where is the Bathroom? ﺃﻳﻦ اﻟﻤﺮﺣﺎض؟ ?Ayna al-merhad

LESSON NOTES

Today we are going to cover a practical phrase that you can use when you're out and need to go to the bathrooms. It's your first attempt at asking a full question in Arabic. Let's learn how to say "where is the bathroom?"

(ﺃﻳﻦ اﻟﻤﺮﺣﺎض) "?The phrase is actually pretty simple: "ayna al-merhad is "the bathroom." Literally, it (اﻟﻤﺮﺣﺎض) "is Classical Arabic for "where". "Al-merhad (ﺃﻳﻦ) "ayna" means "where the bathroom?" The phrase doesn't have a verb and yet makes complete sense in Arabic.

Here is a thing though. While “ayna” is the Standard word for “where” in Arabic, it is unlikely to be used in a conversation in Morocco. This is because, often, Standard and Spoken Arabic are different. If you say “ayna”, you will be understood, but if you want to sound more natural, use the ”instead, which means “where” in Moroccan Arabic. So “where is the bathroom (ﻓﻴﻦ ) ”word “feen !With this expression, you’ll be sure to blend in (ﻓﻴﻦ اﻟﻤﺮﺣﺎض؟) ”?simply becomes “feen al-merhaad

Now when you finally get to the bathroom there may be one last hurdle. In some instances, only the Arabic words are written on the doors! What to do? You can either wait by the doors to see which one the women go to and which one the men go to. Or, you could take matters into your and (اﻟﺮﺟﺎل) ”hands and learn to recognize the words in Arabic. Ready? The word for men is “rijaal .(اﻟﻨﺴﺎء) ”’the word for women is “nisaa

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English ?Ayna al-merhad? Where is the bathroom ﺃﻳﻦ اﻟﻤﺮﺣﺎض؟ (Classical Arabic) ?Feen al-merhad? Where is the bathroom ﻓﻴﻦ اﻟﻤﺮﺣﺎض؟ (Spoken Arabic)

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English (Ayna where (Classical Arabic ﺃﻳﻦ

Arabic Romanization English (feen where (Spoken Arabic ﻓﻴﻦ Al-merhad toilets اﻟﻤﺮﺣﺎض Rijaal men اﻟﺮﺟﺎل Nisaa’ women اﻟﻨﺴﺎء

QUICK TIP

The best advice I can give you is not to use a public bathroom if you can. In some remote areas, they can be dark, dirty, and without a lock. In large cities, they can be better but still don't expect a luxury.

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While western-style toilets are the most common in Moroccan houses, hotels and restaurants, you’re likely to encounter squat toilets in bus stations, local restaurants and train stations. Put simply, squat toilets are a hole in the ground. They usually come without toilet paper but they all have a bucket of water to flush the toilet with. It doesn’t sound lots of fun but actually you’ll be grateful that squat toilets exist because they are much more hygienic than a western toilet without adequate plumbing! You’ll enjoy the fact that there is no toilet seat you have to try and hover over or even sit on, given the condition of some of these toilets. And one last tip: Don't lose your wallet and change in your back pocket while in squatting position ... it won't be fun trying to retrieve it.

Lesson 7: I Don't Understand. ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻤﻲ اﻟﻺﻨﺠﻠﻴﺰﻳﺔ؟ /ﻫﻞ ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻢ ?Hal tatakallamu al-enjlezia

LESSON NOTES

Today we’re going to cover the phrase “I don’t understand” which is going to be a very useful phrase because most of the time you won’t understand. means “I”. We (ﺃﻧﺎ) ”The first word “ana .(ﺃﻧﺎ ﻻ ﺃﻓﻬﻢ) ”In Arabic “I don’t understand” is “ana la afham which is “no”. So to recap here, we (ﻻ) ”use the same word to say “me”. This is followed by “la is a conjugated form (ﺃﻓﻬﻢ) ”Literally this means “I no”. The next word “afham .(ﺃﻧﺎ ﻻ) ”have “ana la of “understand” that literally means “I understand.” So all together “ana la afham” literally is “I no understand”, meaning “I don’t understand.”

As many Moroccans will tell you, Arabic is a rich language and when a native speaker is in action it is also accompanied by a rich variety of facial and hand gestures. These serve to emphasize that which is being said, or can be used on their own as a non-verbal response. So when you don’t understand something, try to shake your head from side to side while saying “ana la afham.” People will understand what you’re trying to say even if you mispronounce it.

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English .Ana la afham. I don’t understand ﺃﻧﺎ ﻻ ﺃﻓﻬﻢ (.Hal tafham? Do you understand? (masc ﻫﻞ ﺗﻔﻬﻢ؟ (.Hal tafhami? Do you understand? (fem ﻫﻞ ﺗﻔﻬﻤﻲ؟

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English (ana I (also me ﺃﻧﺎ la no ﻻ afham I understand ﺃﻓﻬﻢ (.tafham You understand (masc ﺗﻔﻬﻢ (.tafhami You understand (fem ﺗﻔﻬﻤﻲ ”hal Interrogative “do ﻫﻞ

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Now what if it's the other way around? You're doing the best you can to communicate something and you're using gestures, mixing some English with a bit of Arabic, but aren't getting the proper response for it. You want to ask "do you understand?" in the masculine and (ﻫﻞ ﺗﻔﻬﻤﻲ؟) "?and "hal tafhami (ﻫﻞ ﺗﻔﻬﻢ؟) "?In Arabic, this is: "hal tafham "is an interrogative "do" and "tafham / tafhami (ﻫﻞ) "feminine forms respectively. The word "hal ".is a conjugated form of "understand" that translates into "you understand (ﺗﻔﻬﻤﻲ/ﺗﻔﻬﻢ)

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If worst comes to worst, and, well, you just don't understand at all what you're being told, don't get upset too quickly. Use a sense of humor and laugh at it. Moroccans are much more likely to make an extra effort to explain things to a fun foreigner than to a grumpy one. Wouldn't you?

Lesson 8: Can You Speak English? ﻫﻞ ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻢ اﻻﻧﻜﻠﻴﺰﻳﻪ؟ ?Hal tatakallamu Al-enjleziya

LESSON NOTES

In today's lesson we'll cover another extremely important phrase, "Can you speak English?" Using this phrase as opposed to speaking English at someone is important for many reasons. For one if the party you’re speaking to doesn’t understand English, at least they’ll be able to understand what you’re asking. Furthermore, it shows a lot of respect and that you took the effort to learn even a little bit of the language, and for these reasons and many more, we’re going to cover this phrase.

”The first word “hal .(ﻫﻞ ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻢ اﻹﻧﺠﻠﻴﺰﻳﺔ؟) ”?Can you speak English?” is “Hal tatakallamu al-enjleziya“ is an interrogative word that means “can” or “do” in questions. The “h” sound in the word (ﻫﻞ) “hal” is a sharp h different from the regular h. It’s like it comes from your chest when you breathe out. which is the conjugated form of “speak” used when ,(ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻢ) ”Hal” is followed by “tatakallamu“ instead. Note that the (ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻤﻲ) ”addressing a man. When addressing a woman, we use “tatakallami only thing that changes is the sound at the end.

.”which is “English (اﻹﻧﺠﻠﻴﺰﻳﺔ) ”Last we have “al-enjleziya in the masculine and (ﻫﻞ ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻢ اﻹﻧﺠﻠﻴﺰﻳﺔ؟) ”?So all together we have: “hal tatakallamu al-enjleziya in the feminine form. Literally this means “do you (ﻫﻞ ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻤﻲ اﻹﻧﺠﻠﻴﺰﻳﺔ؟) ”?hal tatakallami al-enjleziya“ speak English?”

Nowadays in Morocco, English is studied at schools, so the number of speakers is increasing; however, there are still many people who don’t speak English.

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English ?Hal tatakallamu/tatakallami Can you speak German ﻫﻞ ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻢ/ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻤﻲ اﻻﻟﻤﺎﻧﻴﻪ؟ al-almaniya? (masc.fem.) ?Hal tatakallamu/tatakallami Can you speak French ﻫﻞ ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻢ/ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻤﻲ اﻟﻔﺮﻧﺴﻴﺔ؟ al-faransiya? (masc./fem.) ?Hal tatakallamu/tatakallami Can you speak Japanese ﻫﻞ ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻢ / ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻤﻲ اﻟﻴﺎﺑﺎﻧﻴﺔ؟ al-yabaniya? (masc./fem.)

Arabic Romanization English ?Hal tatakallamu/tatakallami Can you speak English ﻫﻞ ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻢ / ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻤﻲ اﻻﻧﻜﻠﻴﺰﻳﻪ؟ al-enjlezia? (masc./fem.)

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English ”Hal Interrogative “can” or “do ﻫﻞ (.Tatakallamu You speak (masc ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻢ (.Tatakallami You speak (fem ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻤﻲ Al-enjleziya English اﻻﻧﻜﻠﻴﺰﻳﻪ Al-faransiya French اﻟﻔﺮﻧﺴﻴﺔ Al-yabaniya Japanese اﻟﻴﺎﺑﺎﻧﻴﺔ Al-almaniya German اﻻﻟﻤﺎﻧﻴﻪ (naam Yes (Classical Arabic ﻧﻌﻢ (aah Yes (Moroccan Arabic آه la No ﻻ

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Let's try to use different languages in the expression. Only the word for "English" changes and everything else stays the same. Let's practice:

Can you speak French?" is "hal" .(اﻟﻔﺮﻧﺴﻴﺔ) "French in Arabic is "al-faransiya (ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻤﻲ اﻟﻔﺮﻧﺴﻴﺔ؟/ﻫﻞ ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻢ) "?tatakallamu/tatakallami al-faransiya although your chances of finding someone who speaks (اﻟﻴﺎﺑﺎﻧﻴﺔ) "Japanese is "al-yabaniya Japanese are very rare. "Can you speak Japanese?" is "hal tatakallamu/tatakallami ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻤﻲ اﻟﻴﺎﺑﺎﻧﻴﺔ؟ /ﻫﻞ ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻢ "?al-yabaniya

Can you speak German?" is "hal tatakallamu" .(اﻻﻟﻤﺎﻧﻴﻪ) "German in Arabic is "al-almaniya (ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻤﻲ اﻻﻟﻤﺎﻧﻴﻪ؟ /ﻫﻞ ﺗﺘﻜﻠﻢ) "?tatakallami al-almaniya/

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Now let's take you a step further and learn how to understand the answer to today's expression. which is Arabic for "no" or (ﻻ) "If people speak your language, that's great! If not, they'll say "la for "yes." Prolong the "a" sound (آه) "meaning "yes." In Moroccan Arabic, we say "aah (ﻧﻌﻢ) "naam" and end it with a hard "h".

Lesson 9: Can You Say It Again? ﻣﺮة ﺃﺧﺮى ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ .Marra ukhra min fadlik

LESSON NOTES

There will be many times when the Arabic around you, or coming at you, is fast and furious, and you may not catch all, or any of it. In instances like this asking the speaker to say it again can prove the difference between understanding a crucial piece of information or spending the rest of the day trying to figure out just what was said. So that you can get a feel for the language and tune your ear, let’s learn the phrase “once again please” and use it over and over!

(ﻣﺮة) ”The first word “marra .(ﻣﺮة ﺃﺧﺮى ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ) ”Once again please” is “marra ukhra min fadlik“ which ,(ﺃﺧﺮى) ”means “time” as in “one more time” or “another time.” This is followed by “ukhra translates into “again” in this expression and sometimes it is used to mean “another”. So to recap and literally it means “time again” or “once again.” The (ﻣﺮة ﺃﺧﺮى) ”here, we have “marra ukhra ”.means “please (ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ) ”next word “min fadlik

Literally this means “one more .(ﻣﺮة ﺃﺧﺮى ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ) ”So all together we have “marra ukhra min fadlik time please” or “once again please.”

At times, even repetition of what is said isn't enough to understand the speaker, as the words are still too fast. For instances like this, you can use the phrase "slowly please.” And because this is a time when you want to be understood, we’re going to use Moroccan Arabic. In Moroccan (ﺑﺸﻮﻳﺔ) ”The first word “bshwiya .(ﺑﺸﻮﻳﺔ ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ) ”Arabic, “slowly please” is “bshwiya min fadlik .which is “please” as we learned before ,(ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ) ”means “slowly.” This is followed by “min fadlik and literally this means “slowly (ﺑﺸﻮﻳﺔ ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ) ”So to recap here, we have “bshwiya min fadlik please.”

Another option you can use is “What did you say?” which in Standard Arabic is “matha qult?” ”.means “what (ﻣﺬا) for women. The first word matha (ﻣﺬا ﻗﻠﺘﻲ؟) ”?for men and “matha qulti (ﻣﺬا ﻗﻠﺖ؟) which literally means “you said” in the masculine and (ﻗﻠﺘﻲ) ”or “qulti (ﻗﻠﺖ) ”This is followed by “qult feminine forms respectively. So to recap here, we have “matha qult / matha qulti?” which literally means “what you said?” or “what did you say?”

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English smahli I’m sorry / Excuse me اﺳﻤﺢ ﻟﻲ .Marra ukhra min fadlik. Once again please ﻣﺮة ﺃﺧﺮى ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ .Bshwiya min fadlik. Slowly please ﺑﺸﻮﻳﺔ ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ

Arabic Romanization English .Matha qult? What did you say? (masc ﻣﺬا ﻗﻠﺖ؟ /Standard Arabic) .Matha qulti? What did you say? (fem ﻣﺬا ﻗﻠﺘﻲ؟ /Standard Arabic) Shnu qulti? What did you say? (Moroccan ﺷﻨﻮ ﻗﻠﺘﻲ؟ Arabic) ?Smahli, shnu qulti? I’m sorry, what did you say اﺳﻤﺢ ﻟﻲ، ﺷﻨﻮ ﻗﻠﺘﻲ؟

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English (”marra Time (as in “one more time ﻣﺮة ukhra Another / again ﺃﺧﺮى Min fadlik Please ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ bshwiya Slowly ﺑﺸﻮﻳﺔ (matha What (Standard Arabic ﻣﺬا (shnu What (Moroccan Arabic ﺷﻨﻮ (.qult You said (masc ﻗﻠﺖ (.qulti You said (fem ﻗﻠﺘﻲ

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In more casual situations such as among friends or when shopping or dining, you can use "shnu is "what" and (ﺷﻨﻮ) "which means "what did you say?" in Moroccan Arabic. "Shnu (ﺷﻨﻮ ﻗﻠﺘﻲ؟) "?qulti is "you said." You can use this expression to address both a man and a woman even (ﻗﻠﺘﻲ) "qulti" if the verb "qulti" is grammatically in the feminine form.

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,(اﺳﻤﺢ ﻟﻲ) "To sound more polite, even if you're talking casually, you can add the word "smahli ﻗﻠﺘﻲ؟) "?meaning "I'm sorry" to the expression we've just learned. You can say "Smahli, shnu qulti "?to mean "I'm sorry, what did you say (اﺳﻤﺢ ﻟﻲ، ﺷﻨﻮ

Now that sounds pretty nice, doesn't it?

Lesson 10: Apologies(I'm Sorry) اﺳﻤﺢ ﻟﻲ /ﻋﻔﻮا Afwan/Smahli

LESSON NOTES

As you haven’t quite mastered Arabic yet, it's probably very prudent to go over the phrases for apologizing as they just might come in handy. In today’s lesson we’ll learn the phrases “I’m sorry” and “excuse me” and what to say in case someone says them to you.

,This phrase means “excuse me” and because it is Standard Arabic .(ﻋﻔﻮا) ”We’ll start with “afwan it is usually used in a formal context such as a business meeting. You can use it when you sneeze or cough while in a meeting, or if you have to interrupt a conversation to answer a phone call, for example.

This is Spoken Arabic and by far .(اﺳﻤﺢ ﻟﻲ) ”A more casual way of saying “excuse me” is “smahli the most common word for apologizing in Morocco, because you can use it everywhere and everyday. Basically, whenever you mess up!

Literally, “smahli” means “forgive me”, so we use it to say “sorry”, “excuse me”, and “forgive me” (but let’s hope you don’t get yourself into that much trouble here…). When you go to a which is Arabic for “marketplace”, chances are it will be overcrowded. If you step on (ﺳﻮق) ”souk“ somebody’s foot, or you push them by mistake, just say “smahli” and you’ll be okay. Or, if you want to ask someone a question, like at an information desk or to call a waiter, you say “smahli” to get their attention before asking them. If you’re late, just say “smahli” when you arrive.

Now, what if someone says “smahli” (sorry) to you? In the case that someone uses this which literally (ﻣﻜﺎﻳﻦ ﻣﺸﻜﻞ) ”expression towards you, the proper response is “makayn mushkil means “there isn’t” and the (ﻣﻜﺎﻳﻦ) ”means “no problem” or “that’s ok.” The first word “makayn means problem. So literally, the expression means “there’s no (ﻣﺸﻜﻞ) ”second word “mushkil problem.”

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English Smahli a sidi Excuse me sir اﺳﻤﺢ ﻟﻲ أ ﺳﺪي Smahli a lalla Excuse me madam اﺳﻤﺢ ﻟﻲ أ ﻟﻠﯽ Makayn mushkil No problem ﻣﻜﺎﻳﻦ ﻣﺸﻜﻞ

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English Afwan Excuse me (formal / Standard ﻋﻔﻮا Arabic) Smahli I’m sorry / Excuse me (casual اﺳﻤﺢ ﻟﻲ / Spoken Arabic) Souk A marketplace ﺳﻮق Sidi Sir ﺳﺪي lalla Madam ﻟﻠﯽ makayn There isn’t ﻣﻜﺎﻳﻦ mushkil problem ﻣﺸﻜﻞ

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Arabic is a very polite language and Moroccans tend to use the honorific "sir" and "madam" a .(ﻟﻠﯽ) "and "madam" is "lalla (ﺳﺪي) "lot when they speak even in casual situations. "Sir" is "sidi Let's look at a few situations when the honorifics are most commonly used. When you interrupt a conversation and when you want to get someone's attention (a bank clerk, a waiter, a police officer, etc.), you say "smahli a sidi" (excuse me sir) or "smahli a lalla" (excuse me ma'am). "Smahli" is "excuse me" as we learned today. "A" is a particle to connect the words, followed by "sidi" (sir) or "lalla" (ma'am). If you step on someone's foot and that person happens to be an old man or an old lady, you say "smahli a sidi" and "smahli a lalla."

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It happens that sometimes you forget the phrases you learn. If that happens when someone bumps into you and apologizes to you in Arabic, you can just nod your head and smile in return. They'll take it as "no problem."

Lesson 11: Business Greetings - Welcome! ﻣﺮﺣﺒﺎ marhaban

LESSON NOTES

Morocco is a shopping paradise. As a tourist, you will be compelled to visit a lot of shops and restaurants to get a feel for Moroccan culture and to taste the food. Today, we’re going to learn phrases you’ll hear when entering a business establishment. and it means (ﻣﺮﺣﺒﺎ) ”The polite greeting when entering a place of business is “marhaban “welcome.” In Morocco, you’ll hear a slightly different pronunciation of the word. Again, this is because of the differences between standard and spoken Arabic. You’ll sometimes hear it .(ﻣﺮﺣﺐ) ”pronounced as “mrehba

You’ll hear this a dozen times as you walk into different stores. You’ll get tired of hearing it, but it would be nice if you could acknowledge the person welcoming you with a smile. But if you The first word .(اﻟﺴﻼﻢ ﻋﻠﻴﻜﻢ) ”want to say something, just say “hello”, which is “as-salamu alaykum means “upon you.” Put ,(ﻋﻠﻴﻜﻢ) ”means “peace” and the second word “alaykum (اﻟﺴﻼﻢ) ”as-salamu“ together, “as-salamu alaykum” literally means “peace be upon you”, and you can use it when you enter a store to say “hello”.

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English As-salamu alaykum Peace be upon you (used as اﻟﺴﻼﻢ ﻋﻠﻴﻜﻢ a universal greeting “hello”)

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English (marhaban Welcome (Standard Arabic ﻣﺮﺣﺒﺎ (mrehba Welcome (Moroccan Arabic ﻣﺮﺣﺐ Tfadlu Come in / Go ahead ﺗﻔﻀﻠﻮ As-salamu Peace اﻟﺴﻼﻢ alaykum Upon you ﻋﻠﻴﻜﻢ

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.(ﺗﻔﻀﻠﻮ) "Another useful phrase that you will often hear when entering Moroccan shops is "tfadlu This is a conjugated form of "come in." You've very likely to hear a combination of both phrases we learned today: "Welcome. Come in." And this is "mrehba. Tfadlu."

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Not all shops and restaurants greet or welcome their customers. Expensive coffee shops and restaurants always greet and welcome you because it's part of the high quality of service they offer you. Expect to be greeted and nicely welcomed in a variety of other shops as well even if they're small and traditional. But other shop assistants don't care at all and they may choose to completely ignore you and I don't know why that is.

Lesson 12: Restaurant 1 - Smoking or Non-Smoking? ?Mudakhin aw ghair mudakhinﻣﺪﺧﻦ ﺃو ﻏﻴﺮ ﻣﺪﺧﻦ؟

LESSON NOTES

After spending a long day walking the streets of old medinas and souks, you will be craving a cold drink or a warm meal. Today, we’re going to start a series of lessons aimed at helping you navigate your way through restaurants. In this lesson, we’ll cover getting a table in the section of the restaurant you want.

In Morocco smoking in restaurants is still accepted, but there are occasions when you can ask for a non-smoking seat. Or, perhaps you would like a smoking seat. Either way let's cover that first. means “non.” This is (ﻏﻴﺮ) ”The first word “ghair .(ﻏﻴﺮ ﻣﺪﺧﻦ) ”Non-smoking" is “ghair mudakhin" means (ﻏﻴﺮ ﻣﺪﺧﻦ) ”which is “smoker.” Put together, “ghair mudakhin ,(ﻣﺪﺧﻦ) ”followed by “mudakhin ”.It literally means “smoker .(ﻣﺪﺧﻦ) ”non-smoker.” "Smoking" is simply “mudakhin“

ﻣﺪﺧﻦ؟) ”?So the question “smoking or non-smoking?” in Arabic is “mudakhin aw ghair mudakhin (ﻏﻴﺮ ﻣﺪﺧﻦ) ”means “or”, and “ghair mudakhin (ﺃو) ”Mudakhin” means “smoker”, “aw“ .(ﻣﺪﺧﻦ ﺃو ﻏﻴﺮ means “non smoker”. To answer the question, simply say “mudakhin” (smoker) if you want a smoking seat, and “ghair mudakhin” (non-smoker) if you want a non-smoking seat.

Now, second-hand smoke may not be the only obstacle on your path towards the perfect meal, as you may not like the location of the table selected for you. Perhaps you want a table by the window, or one not next to the kitchen door! A useful expression to use in this case is: “May we sit there?”

The first word (ﻣﻤﻜﻦ ﺃن ﻧﺠﻠﺲ ﻫﻨﺎك؟) ”?This expression can be translated as: “mumkin an-najlis hunak which translates as “we ,(ﺃن ﻧﺠﻠﺲ) ”means “possible.” This is followed by “an-najlis (ﻣﻤﻜﻦ) ”mumkin“ ”.means “there (ﻫﻨﺎك) ”sit.” The last word “hunak

ﺃن ﻧﺠﻠﺲ ﻫﻨﺎ؟) ”?If the table you desire is closer by “May we sit here?” is “mumkin an-najlis huna .(You simply replace “hunak” (there) with “huna” (here (ﻣﻤﻜﻦ

Now, you can beat them to the punch by saying “non-smoking” and “may we sit there?” first. If you manage to say both (ﻣﻤﻜﻦ ﺃن ﻧﺠﻠﺲ ﻫﻨﺎك؟ .ﻏﻴﺮ ﻣﺪﺧﻦ) ”?Ghair mudakhin. Mumkin an najlis hunak“ phrases, you’ll have your favorite seat!

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English Ghair mudakhin Non-smoking ﻏﻴﺮ ﻣﺪﺧﻦ ?Mudakhin aw ghair Smoking or non-smoking ﻣﺪﺧﻦ ﺃو ﻏﻴﺮ ﻣﺪﺧﻦ؟ mudakhin? Mumkin an-najlis huna? May we sit here? (Standard ﻣﻤﻜﻦ ﺃن ﻧﺠﻠﺲ ﻫﻨﺎ؟ Arabic) ?Mumkin an najlis hunak? May we sit there ﻣﻤﻜﻦ ﺃن ﻧﺠﻠﺲ ﻫﻨﺎك؟ Ymken lina nglsu hna? May we sit here? (Moroccan ﻳﻤﻜﻦ ﻟﻨﺎ ﻧﺠﻠﺴﻮ ﻫﻨﺎ؟ Arabic?)

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English hunak there ﻫﻨﺎك huna here ﻫﻨﺎ An-najlis We sit ﺃن ﻧﺠﻠﺲ aw or ﺃو mumkin possible ﻣﻤﻜﻦ ghair non ﻏﻴﺮ mudakhin smoking ﻣﺪﺧﻦ

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The first sound "gh" in "ghair" (which means 'non') is new to the English alphabet. As it's the is (غ) "first time we introduce it in our lessons, let's learn how to read the transcription. "gh .in Bach but using your voice box (خ) "pronounced like the French "r". It's close to the German "ch

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There are times when you will be tempted to eat at some small local restaurants or food stalls, just because the food smells really good when you walk by them. In these modest places, Standard Arabic is likely to sound "too fancy." So to say "may we sit here?" I advise you to say it in Moroccan Arabic, which is "ymken lina nglsu hna?"

"Ymken" means "possible". "Lina" means "for us". "nglsu" is "we sit". And "hna" is "here." (ﻳﻤﻜﻦ ﻟﻨﺎ ﻧﺠﻠﺴﻮ ﻫﻨﺎ؟) "?Literally, the whole expression means "is it possible for us to sit here

Lesson 13: Restaurant 2 - In the Restaurant ﺷﻨﻮ ﻟﻲ ﺑﻨﻴﻦ؟

LESSON NOTES

Today we’ll learn how to place an order at a restaurant. What can you do if you can’t read the Arabic menu? Today’s phrases will be of great help!

When you enter a restaurant, you may first have to get a hold of the staff. You can accomplish ”.which means “please (ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ) ”this by waving your hand and saying “min fadlik

“Min fadlik” is the Standard Arabic word for “please.” Therefore, it is pretty formal, and you will be .(ﻋﻔﺎك) ”understood if you use it. But if you want to sound more Moroccan, say “afak

Once the waiter or waitress comes to your table, you can simply point to the menu and say which means “This please.” You can also replace the word “hada” with (ﻫﺬا ﻋﻔﺎك) "Hada afak" whatever it is you want to eat. For example, to order “tajine dial kufta” (meatballs cooked in fresh .(ﻃﺎﺟﻴﻦ ﺩﻳﺎل اﻟﻜﻔﺘﺔ) ”tomatoes and served in a special pot), you would say, “tajine dial kufta afak

Now if you're feeling ambitious, you could go for "What do you recommend?" This expression is pretty difficult to pronounce in Arabic, so we’re going to use a simpler version that I personally The first word “shnu” means “what” and (ﺷﻨﻮ ﻟﻲ ﺑﻨﻴﻦ؟) ”?use in Morocco. You can say, “Shnu li bnin “li bnin” means “is delicious.” Altogether, “shnu li bnin?” means “what’s delicious?” and can be used to say “what do you recommend?”

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English Hada afak This please ﻫﺬا ﻋﻔﺎك Tajine dial kufta afak A tajine of meatballs please ﻃﺎﺟﻴﻦ ﺩﻳﺎل اﻟﻜﻔﺘﺔ ﻋﻔﺎك ?Shnu li bnin? What’s delicious ﺷﻨﻮ ﻟﻲ ﺑﻨﻴﻦ؟

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English (Min fadlik Please (Standard Arabic ﻣﻦ ﻓﻀﻠﻚ (Afak Please (Moroccan Arabic ﻋﻔﺎك Hada This ﻫﺬا Shnu What ﺷﻨﻮ

Arabic Romanization English Bnin Delicious ﺑﻨﻴﻦ / Tajine Tajine (name of a dish ﻃﺎﺟﻴﻦ traditional pot) Kufta Meatballs ﻛﻔﺘﺔ

QUICK TIP refers both to a type of dish as well as the special pot to cook it in. The (ﻃﺎﺟﻴﻦ) "A "Tajine traditional tajine pot is made of heavy clay which is sometimes painted. Tajine dishes are slow-cooked at low temperatures, resulting in tender, falling-of-the-bone meat with fresh vegetables and sauce. Isn't that mouth-watering?

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Here are some personal recommendations of delicious dishes to try while in Morocco. Dishes vary by region, so remember to also try local flavors.

- Tajine dial djaj (Chicken with pickled lemon)

- Tajine dial barqooq (Lamb or beef with prunes and cinnamon)

- Couscous dial khudra (Couscous with vegetables)

Lesson 14: Restaurant 3 - At The Table ﻫﺬا ﻋﻔﺎك Hada afak

LESSON NOTES

Table manners are a must wherever you go. In this lesson we’ll cover some basic table etiquette when sitting down for a meal in Morocco. As you know, some things can be offensive in other cultures even if they’re totally okay back home. And Morocco is just one of those countries where most social life takes place around a meal or a cup of mint tea. So make sure you know your manners before you go! which translates into “In the (ﺑﺴﻢ اﷲ) ”Before beginning a meal it is very polite to say “Bismi llah name of God.” It’s actually the word “Allah” that we’re saying but because the word that precedes it “bismi” ends with the vowel “i”, we blend the sound “i” with the beginning sound “a” of Allah, which makes it sound “bismi llah” instead of “bismi Allah.”

You will hear this a lot because Moroccans say it at the beginning of every meal. And don’t be shy about it. Say it loud, it’ll prove to your host that you show great respect to their culture. Now, if you’re eating with a group of people in Morocco, it is rude to start before anyone else. So, you want to wait for that “starting signal.” Your host will usually use “bismi llah” to mean “Let’s start eating.” which means “Thanks to (اﻟﺤﻤﺪ اﷲ) ”Now at the end of the meal, you always say “Lhamdu llah God.”

As a sign of hospitability, expect to be urged to eat more after you’ve finished. You can use the expression we’ve just learned “lhamdu llah” as a polite way of saying “no, thank you.”

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English Lhamdu llah Thanks to God (said after you اﻟﺤﻤﺪ اﷲ finish a meal) Bismi llah In the name of God (said ﺑﺴﻢ اﷲ when you begin eating)

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The expression "Bismi llah" is not only specific to eating. People say it when they begin an activity: drinking, working, studying, traveling, etc. It's like asking for God's blessing before one begins something.

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Food is served from a communal dish. So, make sure you eat from the section of the dish that is in front of you. And never reach across the dish to get something from the other side. Also, as an honored guest, choice cuts will be put in front of you. Remember, do not begin eating until the host blesses the food or begins eating.

Lesson 15: Restaurant 4 - Getting the Check (paying bill) اﻟﺤﺴﺎب ﻋﻔﺎك l-hsab afak

LESSON NOTES

Today we'll go over how to ask for the check at a restaurant. We’ll also introduce a phrase that lets you say how good the food is.

When you want to leave a restaurant, you may first have to get a hold of the staff. Again you can which means “please” in Moroccan (ﻋﻔﺎك) ”accomplish this by raising your hand and saying “afak The .(اﻟﺤﺴﺎب ﻋﻔﺎك) ”Arabic. Once at your table, you can ask for the check by saying “l-hsab afak (ﻋﻔﺎك) ”literally means "counting" or "addition". This is followed by “afak (اﻟﺤﺴﺎب) ”first word “l-hsab which is “please.”

Now if you'd like to tell them how good the food is or if you're eating with someone and you want The first .(اﻟﻤﻜﻠﺔ ﺑﻨﻴﻨﺔ) ”to let them know how good you feel the food is, you can say: “l-makla bnina which (ﺑﻨﻴﻨﺔ) ”means “the food” in Moroccan Arabic. This is followed by “bnina (اﻟﻤﻜﻠﺔ) ”word “l-makla is “delicious.” Altogether, “l-makla bnina” means “the food is delicious.”

”.when you finish eating, which means “Thanks to God (اﻟﺤﻤﺪ اﷲ) ”Don't forget to say “lhamdu llah

In Morocco, it is common practice to tip. Usually, you leave a tip at the table when you leave, or you give it to the wait staff when they give you your change back. In a downtown restaurant, not too fancy or too expensive, a 5-Dh tip will do. 5 Dirhams are about 50 US cents. In a more upscale restaurant, anything from 10 Dhs is acceptable (that’s about 1 US dollar).

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English l-hsab afak Check please اﻟﺤﺴﺎب ﻋﻔﺎك l-makla bnina The food is delicious اﻟﻤﻜﻠﺔ ﺑﻨﻴﻨﺔ

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English afak Please ﻋﻔﺎك l-hsab Addition, check/cheque اﻟﺤﺴﺎب l-makla The food اﻟﻤﻜﻠﺔ bnina Delicious ﺑﻨﻴﻨﺔ Lhamdu llah Thanks to God (said after you اﻟﺤﻤﺪ اﷲ finish a meal)

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At almost all restaurants, you're expected to pay at the table, not at the cash register. When the wait staff comes back with the check, pay him or her. It's also because you need to tip the wait staff that it's generally not acceptable to settle your bill at the cash register.

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In a traditional and/or formal setting, people don't pay separately at a restaurant. It's rude if you step up and insist that you pay your share of the bill. One person, usually the host, will pay for everyone and you're expected to return the invitation another time. With friends, however, it's alright to pay separately if everyone else is paying for themselves.

Lesson 16: Counting 1-10 Juj d-nassﺟﻮج د اﻟﻨﺎس

LESSON NOTES

Today we're going to cover counting zero through ten. These numbers will come in handy when you want to buy tickets or ask for the time. Also in this lesson, we’ll learn to combine numbers with nouns to indicate amounts. In other words, we’ll learn to say things like “2 people” or “4 rooms.”

In Arabic, counting is very straightforward so let's jump right in.

.(ﺻﻔﺮ) ”Zero” is “sefr“

.(ﻭاﺣﺪ) ”One” is “wahd“

.(ﺟﻮج) ”Two” is “juj“

.(ﺗﻼﺘﺔ) ”Three” is “tlata“

.(ﺭﺑﻌﺔ) ”aعFour” is “rb“

.(ﺧﻤﺴﺔ) ”Five” is “khmsa“

.(ﺳﺘﺔ) ”Six” is “stta“

.(ﺳﺒﻌﺔ) ”aعSeven” is “sab“

.(ﺗﻤﺎﻧﻴﺔ) ”Eight” is “tmanya“

.(ﺗﺴﻌﻮد) ”udعNine” is “ts“

.(ﻋﺸﺮة) ”ashraع“ Ten” is“

In English we simply use a number in combination with the plural form of some object (two apples or 3 people). But in Arabic, we have to learn to combine different numbers with objects using a plural form and a letter in between the two.

For the numbers 2 through 10, we combine a number and a noun like this:

Number + d + plural noun

To say “2 people”, it’s “juj d nass.” In the same .(اﻟﻨﺎس) ”For example, “people” in Arabic is “nass way, “3 people” is “tlata d nass.”

However, to say “one person” we use the number “wahd” only. So “wahd” (one) is used to say both “number one” and “one person.”

In linguistics, "d" is known as a "possessive particle".

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English Sefr Zero ﺻﻔﺮ Wahd One ﻭاﺣﺪ Juj Two ﺟﻮج Tlata Three ﺗﻼﺘﺔ a FourعRb ﺭﺑﻌﺔ Khmsa Five ﺧﻤﺴﺔ Stta Six ﺳﺘﺔ a SevenعSab ﺳﺒﻌﺔ Tmanya Eight ﺗﻤﺎﻧﻴﺔ ud NineعTs ﺗﺴﻌﻮد ashra Tenع ﻋﺸﺮة Nass People اﻟﻨﺎس Juj d-nass 2 people ﺟﻮج د اﻟﻨﺎس Tlata d-nass 3 people ﺗﻼﺘﺔ د اﻟﻨﺎس Wahd One person ﻭاﺣﺪ Dirham Dirham دﺭﻫﻢ Drahm Dirhams دﺭاﻫﻢ Juj d drahm 2 dirhams ﺟﻮج د دﺭاﻫﻢ Khmsa d drahm 5 dirhams ﺧﻤﺴﺔ د دﺭاﻫﻢ

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.(دﺭاﻫﻢ) "The plural of "dirham" is "drahm .(دﺭﻫﻢ) "The Moroccan currency is "Dirham

So, let's try to count currency. Using the same formula as before, "2 dirhams" is "juj d drahm" ( two + d + plural noun).

What about "5 dirhams"? Using the same combination, it's "khmsa d drahm."

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Sometimes, you may hear "wahd" (one) used before a noun. In this case, it's not acting as a number, but rather as an indefinite article (like the English "a" or "an"). Don't worry about it, just be aware of it.

Lesson 17: How much? ﺑﺸﺤﺎل؟

LESSON NOTES

Shopping for souvenirs, gifts, or for just about anything you need every day, is undeniably part of every tourist’s experience. This is especially true when you’re traveling in Morocco, a shopping paradise! Today's phrase is something for all of you shoppers out there! You will use it over and over and over. It’s “How much?”

Shopping, at the market, at an eatery, depending on your .(ﺑﺸﺤﺎل؟) ?How much?” is “bshhal“ spending habits, this may be an extremely high frequency phrase!

The most rudimentary way of using “how much?” is pointing at something while saying “bshhal?”, but let's try and build this up a bit, shall we? Let's start with the expression, "How much is this?" The first word “bshhal” means “how much” and “hada” is (ﺑﺸﺤﺎل ﻫﺬا؟) ”?which is, “bshhal hada “this.” Altogether, “bshhal hada” literally means “how much this?” or “how much is this?”

The .(ﻫﺪاك) ”Looking at the word for “this”, warrants a look at the word for “that”, which is “hadak (ﺑﺸﺤﺎل ﻫﺪاك؟) ”?phrase “How much is that?” is “bshhal hadak

So, to recap:

(ﺑﺸﺤﺎل ﻫﺪو؟) ”?How much are these?” is “bshhal hadu“

(ﺑﺸﺤﺎل ﻫﺪوك؟) ”?How much are those?” is “bshhal haduk“

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English ?Bshhal hada? How much is this ﺑﺸﺤﺎل ﻫﺬا؟ ?Bshhal hadak? How much is that ﺑﺸﺤﺎل ﻫﺪاك؟ ?Bshhal hadu? How much are these ﺑﺸﺤﺎل ﻫﺪو؟ ?Bshhal haduk? How much are those ﺑﺸﺤﺎل ﻫﺪوك؟ .tini hada. I’ll take thisع اﻋﻄﻴﻨﻲ ﻫﺬا .tini hada. OK, I’ll take thisع ,Wakha واخ, اﻋﻄﻴﻨﻲ ﻫﺬا

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English ?Bshhal? How much ﺑﺸﺤﺎل؟ Hada This ﻫﺬا Hadak That ﻫﺪاك Hadu These ﻫﺪو Haduk Those ﻫﺪوك .Wakha OK واخ

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When out shopping, before you buy something, make sure you walk around to compare prices. After that, you need to bargain, bargain, and bargain some more! In the next lesson, we'll learn a key phrase related to bargaining, but for now, keep in mind that you should never settle for the first price.

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After you've asked how much, bargained, and decided to buy something, you can tell the shop tini hada", which literally means, "OK, give me this", but we use it in theع ,assistant: "wakha sense "OK, I'll take this."

Lesson 18: Please Lower the Price ﻧﻘﺺ اﻟﺘﻤﻦ ﻋﻔﺎك .Nqes taman afak

LESSON NOTES

Souks and markets are major features of Moroccan life, and they are among the country’s greatest attractions. An undeniable part of your shopping experience will be to haggle at the souk! So when you're at the market and talking prices, the phrase “Lower the price please” will come in very handy!

In the last lesson, we introduced “How much is this?” (bshhal hada?) and "How much is that? (bshhal hadak?). Once the price is mentioned, say “Lower the price please”, which is “nqes ”The first word “nqes” means “lower.” This is followed by “taman .(ﻧﻘﺺ اﻟﺘﻤﻦ ﻋﻔﺎك) ”taman afak which is “price.” Make sure you stress on the “t” when you pronounce it. The last word “afak” is “please.” Altogether, “nqes taman afak” literally means “lower the price please.”

Another phrase that can be used in combination with this is “Too expensive.” This is: “ghali bzzaf” ”.means “a lot” or “much (ﺑﺰاف) ”means “expensive” and “bzzaf (ﻏﺎﻟﻲ) ”Ghali“ .(ﻏﺎﻟﻲ ﺑﺰاف)

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English .Nqes taman afak. Lower the price please ﻧﻘﺺ اﻟﺘﻤﻦ ﻋﻔﺎك Ghali bzzaf Too expensive ﻏﺎﻟﻲ ﺑﺰاف ?Bshhal hada? How much is this ﺑﺸﺤﺎل ﻫﺬا؟ ?Bshhal hadak? How much is that ﺑﺸﺤﺎل ﻫﺪاك؟

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English Souk Marketplace ﺳﻮق Nqes To lower ﻧﻘﺺ Taman Price اﻟﺘﻤﻦ Afak Please ﻋﻔﺎك Ghali Expensive ﻏﺎﻟﻲ Bzzaf A lot / much ﺑﺰاف

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Bargaining is entirely natural in Morocco. Never pay attention to initial prices. The opening price is simply used to test the limits of a particular deal or situation. The best thing to do is to visit a fixed price store to determine the real prices of item. Set your mind on how much you are willing to pay and then go back to the shop to negotiate the prices of the articles.

Places where it's acceptable to bargain are: department stores, marketplaces, grocery stores, car rentals, apartment rental, guides. Places with fixed prices are: movie theatres, train and bus stations, supermarkets, eateries, museums, hotels, and food stores. All of these places should have a set price displayed where everyone can see it.

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Souks are to be found everywhere; each town has its own special souks. Large cities like Fez and Marrakesh have labyrinths of individual souks (each filling a street or square and devoted to one particular craft), and in the countryside there are hundreds of weekly souks.

Lesson 19: Currency Dirhamﺩﺭﻫﻢ

LESSON NOTES

The currency used in Morocco is the Dirham, abbreviated as Dh, with denominations consisting of ryal and centime. 1 Dirham is divided into 20 ryals or 100 centimes. As of January 2008, the exchange rate is roughly 7.8 Dirhams to one US dollar and roughly 11.4 Dirhams to one Euro. Paper currency includes 20, 50, 100, and 200-Dh bills, and1 ryal, 2-ryal, 4-ryal, 10-ryal, 1-dirham, 5-dh, and 10-dh coins. You’ll deal in ryal and dirham most of the time.

20 ryals are 1 Dh. When converting from ryals to dirhams, divide by 20.

For example, 100 ryals: 100 ÷ 20 = 5 Dh.

From dirhams to ryals, multiply by 20. E.g. 2 Dh × 20 = 40 ryals.

Now, the foreign exchange rate is always fluctuating, but I like to calculate the rate as roughly 10 Dhs per one US dollar. Using this rough equation, a 100 Dh-bill is like a 10-dollar bill. As for phrases necessary for foreign exchange, we’ll cover those in another lesson.

Now on the bank notes, there is either one or a combination of these kings of Morocco.

Mohamed VI (the current king of Morocco, 1999-) is on all of the recent bank notes.

Hassan II (father of Mohamed VI and King of Morocco from 1961 to1999) is on all of the older bank notes that are still in circulation.

Mohamed V (grandfather of Mohammed VI and King of Morocco from 1955 to 1961) is on the recent 100-Dh notes only.

Morocco is relatively cheap compared to Japan, Europe or the US. But the cost of living in large cities such as Casablanca and Rabat is rapidly increasing. A big Mac costs about 36 Dhs, which is about 3.6 US dollars. You don’t need to carry around too much money, but expect to pay around 300 Dh a day if you’re on an average budget, on transportation and 3 decent meals.

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English Dirham Dirham ﺩﺭﻫﻢ Drahm Dirhams ﺩﺭاﻫﻢ

Arabic Romanization English Ryal Ryal ﺭﻳﺎل

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The most convenient way to obtain Dirhams is through an ATM, where official rates automatically apply, but daily withdrawal limits can seem low for customers paying cash for rugs in the souks. National currencies can be exchanged at official “bureau de change” (exchange offices) and these are usually open from 9:00 to 16:00.

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The Moroccan currency is only for use in Morocco; you must exchange all Moroccan money for a foreign currency before leaving, and won't be able to buy Dirham before arriving in Morocco. It is illegal to export Moroccan money, but you won't have trouble converting it to a foreign currency in Morocco. It will be impossible to exchange outside of Morocco, so don't forget!

When exchanging money try to keep to established shops; even if someone tries to exchange money on the street, be wary. Fake notes are common, and it is actually illegal to exchange money outside of authorized exchanges.

Lesson 20: Internet Cafe ﺇﻧﺘﺮﻧﻴﺖ Internet

LESSON NOTES

When you travel, staying in touch with your family and friends is a must. And unless you’re staying at an expensive hotel that has internet connection, and unless you have your own computer with you, you will need at some point to find an internet café. Today’s lesson will help you navigate your way at an internet café.

Finding an internet café is an easy task because there are a bunch of them out there in Morocco, even though the connection is sometimes slow. But, they’re good enough for research, word processing, email, chat, scanning, and printing.

To start with, internet café in Arabic is “cyber café.” It’s French, but again, Moroccan Arabic has a lot of French words in it. The sign for internet cafes in Morocco is easy to spot because it always says “cyber café” or “internet café” in Roman letters. You’ll recognize the words easily because they’re spelled exactly the same in French and in English, though pronounced differently.

Now, once inside, you really don’t need to say much to get a seat. Just go to the reception desk ,which means “internet, please.” After that ,(ﺇﻧﺘﺮﻧﻴﺖ ﻋﻔﺎك) ”at the entrance, and say “internet, afak the person will just nod and either guide you to a particular computer, or very often, will ask you to choose your own seat. Actually, most of the time, you can choose where to sit. Once you’ve settled, the staff will come over and put a ticket next to your computer with the time you’ve signed in. You don’t need to say anything at this point. And you won’t need a user ID or a password or anything to log on. You can start right away.

When you leave, simply bring that ticket to the counter and you’ll be charged for the time you stayed. Not all internet cafes are open 24h. Some of them close early. To ask, “What time do you ”is “when” and “ka-tsddu (ﻓﻮﻗﺎش) ”Fuqash“ (ﻓﻮﻗﺎش ﻛﺘﺴﺪو؟) ”?close?” in Arabic, say “Fuqash ka-tsddu .”means “you close (ﻛﺘﺴﺪو)

,(ﻣﻊ) ”aعWe learned numbers in Arabic a few weeks ago, so the person will answer by saying “m ”.a tmenyaعwhich means “at”, followed by a number. For example, “at 8:00” is “m

The last phrase for all of you laptop-packing world trekkers is "Does this store have WIFI?" In The first word, “kayn” means (ﻛﺎﻳﻦ ﺇﻧﺘﺮﻧﻴﺖ ﻫﻨﺎ؟) ”?Moroccan Arabic, it’s “Kayn internet sans fil hna “there is.” The French words “sans fil” translate to “wireless.” And “hna” means “here.”

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English ?Fuqash ka-tsddu? When do you close ﻓﻮﻗﺎش ﻛﺘﺴﺪو؟ Internet afak Internet please ﺇﻧﺘﺮﻧﻴﺖ ﻋﻔﺎك ?Kayn internet sans fil hna? Does this store have WIFI ﻛﺎﻳﻦ ﺇﻧﺘﺮﻧﻴﺖ ﻫﻨﺎ؟

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English Internet Internet ﺇﻧﺘﺮﻧﻴﺖ Fuqash When ﻓﻮﻗﺎش Ka-tsddu You close ﻛﺘﺴﺪو a Atعm ﻣﻊ Ma 8:00 At 8:00 ﻣﻊ 8:00 Kayn There is ﻛﺎﻳﻦ Hna Here ﻫﻨﺎ

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The rate at an internet café is about 6 -7 Dhs per hour (that's about 60 US cents) which is pretty cheap. Printing costs about 1 Dh/page. Many internet cafés have fax and copy machines, though you'll be charged separately if you use these services.

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Now if your main worry is being confronted with a non-Roman keyboard, no problem at all! A standard keyboard in Morocco shows both Arabic and French (AZERTY) letters.

Lesson 21: Riding the Bus 1. Will this bus go to...? ﻃﻮﺑﻴﺲ tobis

LESSON NOTES

In Morocco, the bus is an important means of transportation for locals because they’re cheap, even though they don’t have fixed departure and arrival times. However, before you get on the bus you probably want to confirm if the bus is going to your destination. We can accomplish this by asking "Does this bus go to" and then add in a destination. In today’s lesson we’ll use “medina” as our destination. “Medina” is Arabic for city, and in Morocco it also means “downtown.”

ﻃﻮﺑﻴﺲ ﻛﻴﻤﺸﻲ ﻟﻤﺪﻳﻨﺔ؟) ”?In Arabic, “Does this bus go to the Medina” is “Had tobis ka-ymshi l medina which is “bus.” It’s (ﻃﻮﺑﻴﺲ) ”means “this.” This is followed by “tobis (ﻫﺎد) ”The first word “had (ﻫﺎد actually the French word “autobus” that has been shortened to “tobis.” The next word “kaymshi” ”.means “goes (ﻛﻴﻤﺸﻲ)

ل) ”?… is the preposition “to.” So, to recap here, we have “had tobis kaymshi l (ل) ”The letter “l which means “Does this bus go to …?” This is your key phrase. All you need to (؟...ﻫﺎد ﻃﻮﺑﻴﺲ ﻛﻴﻤﺸﻲ do now is add a destination. For example, “Had tobis kaymshi l medina?” means “Does this bus go to the medina?”

Now what if you want to go to the train station? "Train station" in Arabic is “mahattat al-qitar” .(ﻣﺤﻄﺔ اﻟﻘﻄﺎر)

So, “does this bus go to the train station?” is “had tobis kaymshi l mahattat al-qitar?” In Arabic, (ﻫﺎد ﻃﻮﺑﻴﺲ ﻛﻴﻤﺸﻲ ﻟﻤﺤﻄﺔ اﻟﻘﻄﺎر؟) :this is

Okay! Once you have the right bus there are a few things you need to know about riding the bus in Morocco. First, always carry change with you. Also, every bus has an attendant who collects money and gives you a ticket. So, when you get on a bus, find a seat, and he or she will come to you. As for the bus fare, it’s 4 Dh in Casablanca and Rabat. It’s a flat fee so it doesn’t matter how long you ride the bus for.

Now, an important thing is when you arrive at your stop and you want to get off the bus. There is no button to push or anything. You just need to stand up when you approach your stop, as a sign to the driver that you want to get off. If you don’t stand up, and if nobody else does, the driver will just keep going thinking that nobody wants to get off. Ask the attendant if you don’t know where your stop is.

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English Had tobis ka-ymshi l medina? Does this bus go to the ﻫﺎد ﻃﻮﺑﻴﺲ ﻛﻴﻤﺸﻲ ﻟﻤﺪﻳﻨﺔ؟ medina? Had tobis ka-ymashi l Does this bus go to the train ﻫﺎد ﻃﻮﺑﻴﺲ ﻛﻴﻤﺸﻲ ﻟﻤﺤﻄﺔ اﻟﻘﻄﺎر؟ mahattat l-qitar? station? .Wqef hna afak. Stop here please ﻭﻗﻒ ﻫﻨﺎ ﻋﻔﺎك

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English tobis bus ﻃﻮﺑﻴﺲ Mahattat station ﻣﺤﻄﺔ Al-qitar Train اﻟﻘﻄﺎر Mahattat al-qitar Train station ﻣﺤﻄﺔ اﻟﻘﻄﺎر had this ﻫﺎد Ka-ymshi goes ﻛﻴﻤﺸﻲ Wqef stop ﻭﻗﻒ hna here ﻫﻨﺎ Afak Please ﻋﻔﺎك L to ل

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Buses are not punctual; plan ahead if you plan to get somewhere on time. I don’t recommend them to an unaccompanied tourist because the stops are not announced. Also, when they’re crowded, they provide great opportunities for local pickpockets.

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Many bus drivers will agree to let you out if you ask them. Let’s learn to say “stop here please.” That’s “wqef hna afak.” “Wqef” means “stop”, “hna” is “here” and “afak” is “please.”

Lesson 22: Riding the Bus 2. How much is it to...? ?Shnu l-mahtta jjayaﺷﻨﻮ اﻟﻤﺤﻄﺔ اﻟﺠﺎﻳﺔ؟

LESSON NOTES

When you take a bus in Morocco, there are no announcements informing passengers of where the bus will stop next. This makes it hard for someone who’s taking the bus for the first time to know when to get off. Today’s phrase, "What is the next stop?" may be indispensable.

The first (ﺷﻨﻮ اﻟﻤﺤﻄﺔ اﻟﺠﺎﻳﺔ؟) ”?In Spoken Arabic, “What is the next stop?” is “Shnu l-mahtta jjaya which is, “station.” The next ,(اﻟﻤﺤﻄﺔ) ”means “what.” This is followed by “l-mahtta (ﺷﻨﻮ) ”word “shnu means “next.” Altogether, “shnu l-mahtta jjaya?” literally means “What station (اﻟﺠﺎﻳﺔ) ”word “jjaya next?” or “what is the next stop?”

Another way of inquiring could be asking if your desired destination is the next stop. For this phrase, we'll use “mahattat al-qitar” ("train station") as the destination. So the phrase "is the train (اﻟﻤﺤﻄﺔ اﻟﺠﺎﻳﺔ ﻫﻲ ﻣﺤﻄﺔ اﻟﻘﻄﺎر؟) ”?station the next stop?" is “l-mahtta jjaya hiya mahattat al-qitar

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English ?Shnu l-mahtta jjaya? What is the next stop/station ﺷﻨﻮ اﻟﻤﺤﻄﺔ اﻟﺠﺎﻳﺔ؟ ?l-mahtta jjaya hiya …? Is … the next stop/station اﻟﻤﺤﻄﺔ اﻟﺠﺎﻳﺔ ﻫﻲ ...؟

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English Shnu What ﺷﻨﻮ l-mahtta The station اﻟﻤﺤﻄﺔ Jjaya Next اﻟﺠﺎﻳﺔ Al-qitar Train اﻟﻘﻄﺎر Mahttat al-qitar Train station ﻣﺤﻄﺔ اﻟﻘﻄﺎر Aah Yes آه La No ﻻ

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Let’s learn 2 other words in Arabic that will help you understand the answer when you ask the .(ﻻ) ”and “no” is “la (آه) ”question above. These are “yes” and “no.” “Yes” is “aah

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Without the help of a local, city buses are probably more trouble than they’re worth. Go by foot or take a taxi, which is a relatively cheap option in Morocco.

Lesson 23: Riding the Bus 3. A ticket to... ﺑﺸﺤﺎل ﺗﻴﻜﻲ ﻟﻤﺮاﻛﺶ؟ ?Bshhal ticket l Mrrakesh

LESSON NOTES

When traveling long distances in Morocco, the bus can be a cheap way of getting there. In today's lesson we're going to work on getting a ticket. Let’s use Marrakesh as our destination.

Marrakesh is located in the Southwestern part and is the largest city of Morocco after Casablanca. It has the largest traditional market (souk) in Morocco and the busiest square in Africa. The square bustles with acrobats, snake charmers, musicians, shops and food stalls. It’s definitely a place I would recommend you visit.

ﺗﻴﻜﻲ ﻟﻤﺮاﻛﺶ ﻋﻔﺎك) ”The phrase “one ticket to Marrakesh please” is “wahd ticket l Mrrakesh afak literally means “one” but is used in this sentence as “a.” This (ﻭاﺣﺪ) ”The first word “wahd .(ﻭاﺣﺪ is followed by “ticket”, which, as you can tell, means “ticket.” It’s actually French for “ticket” and ,”means “to.” This is followed by “Mrrakesh (ل) ”nobody uses the Arabic word for it. The next “l ”.which means “please (ﻋﻔﺎك) ”which is Moroccan for Marrakesh, and “afak

“Wahd ticket l Mrrakesh afak” literally means “A ticket to Marrakesh please.”

Now if you want to buy more than one ticket, for example if you wanted to buy 2 tickets, you could accomplish this by saying “juj dial ticket” (two tickets).

You might also need to ask how much it is to your desired destination. For example, “How much (ﺑﺸﺤﺎل ﺗﻴﻜﻲ ﻟﻤﺮاﻛﺶ؟) ”?is it to Marrakesh?” is “bshhal ticket l Mrrakesh

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English .Wahd ticket l Mrrakesh afak. A ticket to Marrakesh please ﻭاﺣﺪ ﺗﻴﻜﻲ ﻟﻤﺮاﻛﺶ ﻋﻔﺎك. ?Bshhal ticket l Mrrakesh? How much is it to Marrakesh ﺑﺸﺤﺎل ﺗﻴﻜﻲ ﻟﻤﺮاﻛﺶ؟

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English Mrrakesh Marakesh ﻣﺮاﻛﺶ (Wahd One (also a/an ﻭاﺣﺪ Ticket ticket ﺗﻴﻜﻲ

Arabic Romanization English L to ل Tobis A short distance bus ﻃﻮﺑﻴﺲ l-car A long distance bus اﻟﻜﺎر Afak Please ﻋﻔﺎك Juj Two ﺟﻮج Bshhal How much ﺑﺸﺤﺎل Juj dial ticket 2 tickets ﺟﻮج ﺩﻳﺎل ﺗﻴﻜﻲ

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Since Morocco’s rail network doesn’t extend to some popular destinations in the south such as Agadir and Essaouira, you’ll probably need to use a bus service to travel around. There are three national bus companies that travel between major towns. The most reliable ones are CTM and Supratours. CTM has recently moved to a computerized booking system so you can book all your bus tickets for anywhere in the country at any CTM office.

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Unlike English, there are two separate words for a short-distance bus and a long-distance bus. It’s important to learn both so you don’t end up in a different city when you just want to go is “a (اﻟﻜﺎر) ”is the word for “short-distance bus” and “l-car (ﻃﻮﺑﻴﺲ) ”a flew blocks away! “Tobis long-distance bus.”

Lesson 24: Riding the Rails I. Buying train tickets Wahd ticket l... afakﻋﻔﺎك ...ﻭاﺣﺪ اﻟﺘﻴﻜﻲ ل

LESSON NOTES

In Morocco, riding the rails is one of the best ways to get around. There is no subway or train system in the city but there are trains that run between cities and they are recommended for long distance destinations. In fact, traveling by train is one of the best ways to see everything Morocco has to offer!

One can buy train tickets at the ticket counters inside the station. So, Let's work on getting a ,For example .(.ﻋﻔﺎك ...ﻭاﺣﺪ اﻟﺘﻴﻜﻲ ل) "ticket. We can accomplish this by asking "Wahd ticket l … afak let’s take the city of “Fes” (Fez in English) as the name of your destination. Moroccans pronounce it “Fes” with an “s” sound at the end instead of “z”. “A ticket to Fez please” is “Wahd ticket l Fes is “a/an”, followed by “ticket”, which is the French word for (ﻭاﺣﺪ) ”Wahd“ .(ﻭاﺣﺪ اﻟﺘﻴﻜﻲ ﻟﻔﺎس ﻋﻔﺎك) ”afak ”.is “please (ﻋﻔﺎك) ”means “to.” “Afak (ل) ”ticket” that is part of Moroccan Arabic. The next “l“

Now if you want to buy more than one ticket, for example if you wanted to buy 2 tickets, you can Notice that we simply .(ﺟﻮج ﺩﻳﺎل اﻟﺘﻴﻜﻲ ﻟﻔﺎس ﻋﻔﺎك) ”accomplish this by saying “juj dial ticket l Fes afak substitute “wahd”(one) with “juj” (two), and we add the word “dial” to any number that is bigger than one.

However, just the destination may not be enough, as there are two types of seats on trains in Morocco. There is “daraja ula” (first class) and “daraja tanya” (second class).

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English .Wahd ticket l... afak A ticket to … please ﻭاﺣﺪ اﻟﺘﻴﻜﻲ ل... ﻋﻔﺎك .Wahd ticket l Fes afak. A ticket to Fez please ﻭاﺣﺪ اﻟﺘﻴﻜﻲ ﻟﻔﺎس ﻋﻔﺎك .Juj dial ticket l Fes afak. Two tickets to Fez please ﺟﻮج ﺩﻳﺎل اﻟﺘﻴﻜﻲ ﻟﻔﺎس ﻋﻔﺎك

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English (Wahd One (also a/an ﻭاﺣﺪ L To ل Afak Please ﻋﻔﺎك Fes Fez ﻓﺎس

Arabic Romanization English Juj Two ﺟﻮج Daraja Degree ﺩﺭﺟﺔ ula First ﺃﻭﻟﯽ Tanya Second ﺃﻭﻟﯽ Daraja ula First class ﺩﺭﺟﺔ ﺃﻭﻟﯽ Daraja Tanya Second class ﺩﺭﺟﺔ ﺗﺎﻧﻴﺔ

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Trains in Morocco are efficient, comfortable, and the fares are cheap. You rarely have to book in advance, which is good since you can’t book trains outside of Morocco. The Moroccan train service is ONCF and there is a list of all the schedules and fares on its website, www.oncf.ma.

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Many people like to make it to Morocco from Spain. Traveling by train makes it convenient. Once you cross the Strait of Gibraltar by ferry and you land in Tangier (north of Morocco), you can take the trains and head south of the country stopping by cities like Fez, Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech.

Lesson 25: Riding the Rails II. Will this train go to...? ﻫﺎﺩ اﻟﺘﺮان ﻏﺎﺩي ﻟﻔﺎس؟ ?Had tran ghadi l Fes

LESSON NOTES

When you're on the platform and want to confirm if the train is going to your destination. We can accomplish this by asking a person waiting or a person working for the train company, "will this train go to" followed by a destination. In today’s lesson we’ll use Fez. We talked about Fez in the previous lesson. Let me just say that it’s a beautiful city with a rich history worth visiting.

In Arabic “station” is "mahatta". But you don’t really need to use station at the end of your destination. Just say the name of your destination, and it’s enough.

So in Arabic ”Will this train go to Fez" is "had tran ghadi l Fes?". The first word "had" means "this". It is followed by "tran", which is Arabic for "train". It’s not standard Arabic but everybody in Morocco uses “tran”, which is derived from the French “train”. So to recap here, we have "had tran". Literally this means "this train". The next word "ghadi" means "is going". Next we have "l", which in Arabic is "to". Finally, we have our destination, Fes.

So all together we have "had tran ghadi l Fes?". Literally this means "this train is going to Fes?".

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English ?Had tran ghadi l Fes? Will this train go to Fez ﻫﺎﺩ اﻟﺘﺮان ﻏﺎﺩي ﻟﻔﺎس؟ ?Had l-qitar ghadi l Fes? Will this train go to Fez ﻫﺎﺩ اﻟﻘﻄﺎر ﻏﺎﺩي ﻟﻔﺎس؟

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Train services are not available to the south of Marrakech and to the east of Atlas Mountains. Instead, the ONCF runs bus services in these areas. They are called Supratours. These tours are scheduled according to the train timetable. There are special “Rail & Route” tickets which allow you to combine both trains and buses to your desired destination.

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There is usually only one station in most of the cities (2 in Rabat, a couple in Casablanca) and the stations are well equipped with coffee shops, snacks, drinks, and public phones. Important stations provide 24 hour storage.

Lesson 26: Counting 1 - 100 ﻣﻴﺔ Mya

LESSON NOTES

Today we're going to continue on with counting as we cover 11-100. It sounds a lot! But as in all things Arabic, what seems difficult now becomes natural with time.

.(ﺣﺪاش) ”is “hdash 11

.(ﺗﻨﺎش)”is “tnash 12

.(ﺗﻠﻄﺎش) ”is “tltash 13

.(ﺭﺑﻌﻄﺎش) ”tashعis “rba 14

.(ﺧﻤﺴﻄﺎش) ”is “khmestash 15

.(ﺳﻄﺎش) ”is “stash 16

.(ﺳﺒﻌﻄﺎش) ”tashعis “sba 17

.(ﺗﻤﻨﻄﺎش) ”is “tmentash 18

.(ﺗﺴﻌﻄﺎش) ”tashعis “tse 19

.(ﻋﺸﺮﻳﻦ) ”shrinع“ is 20

Now let’s look at multiples of ten. They all end with the sound “in”.

.(ﺗﻼﺘﻴﻦ) ”is “tlatin 30

.(ﺭﺑﻌﻴﻦ) ”inعis “rb 40

.(ﺧﻤﺴﻴﻦ) ”is “khmsin 50

.(ﺳﺘﻴﻦ) ”is “sttin 60

.(ﺳﺒﻌﻴﻦ) ”inعis “sb 70

.(ﺗﻤﻨﻴﻦ) ”is “tmenyin 80

.(ﺗﺴﻌﻴﻦ) ”inعis “ts 90

.(ﻣﻴﺔ) ”Finally, the number for 100 is “mya

For numbers such as 21, 22, or 23, it is not like English. In Arabic, the “ones” digit is pronounced first, followed by the word “and”, then followed by the “ten” digit. For example, in Arabic, the number 21 is literally “one and twenty” while the number 45 is literally “five and forty.” Let’s look at examples:

.(shrin” (twentyع“ shrin.” “Wahd” (one), followed by “u” (and), followed byع is “wahd u 21

.(shrin” (twentyع“ shrin.” “Tnayn” (two), followed by “u” (and), followed byع is “tnayn u 22

.(shrin” (twentyع“ ishrin.” “Tlata” (three), followed by “u” (and), followed byع is “tlata u 23

And so on.

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English Hdash Eleven ﺣﺪاش Tnash Twelve ﺗﻨﺎش Tltash Thirteen ﺗﻠﻄﺎش tash FourteenعRba ﺭﺑﻌﻄﺎش Khmestash Fifteen ﺧﻤﺴﻄﺎش Stash Sixteen ﺳﻄﺎش tash SeventeenعSba ﺳﺒﻌﻄﺎش Tmentash Eighteen ﺗﻤﻨﻄﺎش tash NineteenعTse ﺗﺴﻌﻄﺎش

Arabic Romanization English Shrin Twentyع ﻋﺸﺮﻳﻦ shrin Twenty-oneع Wahd u واﺣﺪ و ﻋﺸﺮﻳﻦ shrin Twenty-twoع Tnayn u ﺗﻨﺎﻳﻦ و ﻋﺸﺮﻳﻦ shrin Twenty-threeع Tlata u ﺗﻼﺘﺔ و ﻋﺸﺮﻳﻦ Tlatin Thirty ﺗﻼﺘﻴﻦ in FortyعRb ﺭﺑﻌﻴﻦ Khmsin Fifty ﺧﻤﺴﻴﻦ Sttin Sixty ﺳﺘﻴﻦ in SeventyعSb ﺳﺒﻌﻴﻦ Tmenyin Eighty ﺗﻤﻨﻴﻦ in NinetyعTs ﺗﺴﻌﻴﻦ Mya A hundred ﻣﻴﺔ

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For numbers 11 through 19, we can combine a number and a noun like this:

Number + L + singular noun

"12 dirhams" is "tnash l dirham" (tnash + l + dirham).

"15 dirhams" is "khmestash l dirham" (khmestash + l + dirham)

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For numbers 20 through 99, we can combine a number and a noun like this:

Number + singular noun

"30 dirhams" is "tlatin dirham" (tlatin + dirham)

"60 dirhams" is "sttin dirham" (sttin + dirham)

Lesson 27: Taking a Taxi اﻛﺪال ﻋﻔﺎك .Agdal afak

LESSON NOTES

In Morocco, taxis are the fastest and easiest way to go from a place to another in the city. Today, we'll cover a phrase that will help you get to your destination when riding a taxi. We'll look at the most basic way to express this, which is “destination followed by please.”

Let’s use “Agdal” as our destination. Agdal is the name of a famous neighborhood in Rabat. It is known for its trendy cafes, restaurants and fashionable shops. It’s the place of choice for dining and shopping for many young people.

This .(اﻛﺪال ﻋﻔﺎك) ”Now let’s go over what to say to the driver. The most basic way is “Agdal afak means “Agdal please.” Saying your desired destination followed by please is good enough to take you wherever you wish to go, but speaking the local language is one of the most fun things you can do on your travels. So let’s go over another option!

You can also say, “I would like to go to Agdal”, which is, “Dini l Agdal afak”

.(ﺩﻳﻨﻲ ﻷﻛﺪال ﻋﻔﺎك)

Let's take a look at the components. “Dini” means “take me”, “l” is “to” and “afak” is please.” One more helpful phrase when taking a taxi is "Here is fine." This phrase will allow you to get out of the taxi whenever and wherever you want. That is, “wqef hna afak”.

.(ﻭﻗﻒ ﻫﻨﺎ ﻋﻔﺎك)

All taxis within a specific city are the same color. For example, taxis are blue in Rabat and red in Casablanca. You are not expected to tip the driver but rounding up is appreciated. Make sure your carry small bills because most of the time drivers will not have enough change for large bills.

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English .Agdal afak. Agdal please اﻛﺪال ﻋﻔﺎك .Dini l Agdal afak. Take me to Agdal please ﺩﻳﻨﻲ ﻷﻛﺪال ﻋﻔﺎك Wqef hna afak. Stop here please / here is ﻭﻗﻒ ﻫﻨﺎ ﻋﻔﺎك fine.

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There are two types of taxis - Grand Taxis and Petit Taxis. Grand Taxis hold up to 6 people in older Mercedes and Petit Taxis hold a maximum of 3 people. If you’re traveling within a city, a Petit Taxi is a better choice.

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Grand taxis can be hired for the day if you are a small group and would like to have a car and driver for the day to visit some of the harder to reach sites. After 8:00 pm, taxis charge 50% more.

Lesson 28: Where Can I Buy This? ﻓﻴﻦ ﻳﻤﻜﻦ ﻧﺸﺮي ﺷﻲ ﺑﻠﻐﺔ؟ ?Feen ymken nshri shi balgha

LESSON NOTES

Today, we’ll introduce a phrase that will help you track down that specific something you’re looking for. Today’s phrase is “Where can I buy something?” First we need something, so let’s use the word “ktab” (book).

The first word (ﻓﻴﻦ ﻳﻤﻜﻦ ﻧﺸﺮي ﺷﻲ ﻛﺘﺎب؟) ”?Where can I buy a book?” is “Feen ymken nshri shi ktab“ is a conjugated form (ﻧﺸﺮي) ”means “possible”, “nshri (ﻳﻤﻜﻦ) ”means “where”, “ymken (ﻓﻴﻦ) ”feen“ is “book.” Literally the phrase means something like (ﻛﺘﺎب) ”is “a/an” and “ktab (ﺷﻲ) ”of “buy”, “shi “where possible I buy a book?” meaning “Where can I buy a book?”

Now to ask for a different item, we can just replace the word “ktab” with any other word and which is Arabic for traditional slippers. You’ll ,(ﺑﻠﻐﺔ) ”the phrase works just fine. Let’s try “balgha probably want to get yourself a pair or two of them, so let’s see how you can ask. “Where can I (ﻓﻴﻦ ﻳﻤﻜﻦ ﻧﺸﺮي ﺷﻲ ﺑﻠﻐﺔ؟) ”?buy some slippers?” is “feen ymken nshri shi balgha

Use this phrase to ask your hotel clerk or taxi driver to help you locate a desired item. Now that you’re able to ask, you’re going to need an answer. We’ll cover directions in a different lesson, so stay tuned!

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English ?Feen ymken nshri shi ktab? Where can I buy a book ﻓﻴﻦ ﻳﻤﻜﻦ ﻧﺸﺮي ﺷﻲ ﻛﺘﺎب؟ Feen ymken nshri shi balgha? Where can I buy some ﻓﻴﻦ ﻳﻤﻜﻦ ﻧﺸﺮي ﺷﻲ ﺑﻠﻐﺔ؟ slippers? ?Feen ymken nshri lma? Where can I buy water ﻓﻴﻦ ﻳﻤﻜﻦ ﻧﺸﺮي اﻟﻤﺎء؟

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English Balgha Moroccan slippers ﻛﺘﺎب Ktab Book ﻛﺘﺎب Lma Water اﻟﻤﺎء Jarida Newspaper ﺟﺮﻳﺪة Qahwa Coffee ﻗﻬﻮة

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Let’s learn a few more words that you can use with this phrase.

.(ﻗﻬﻮة) ”Coffee” is “qahwa“ .(ﺟﺮﻳﺪة) ”Newspaper” is “jarida“ .(اﻟﻤﺎء) ”Water” is “lma“

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If you stand in the middle of any street in Morocco, chances are you will spot sort of a mini convenience store that is called “hanoot.” These shops sell everything from drinks to toiletries. You can’t walk around the store and pick the items yourself but you ask the assistant at the hanoot to give you the items you need. They accept cash only and no credit cards.

Lesson 29: Is There a Store Nearby Here? ?Wash kayn shi qhwa qribaﻭاش ﻛﺎﻳﻨﺔ ﺷﻲ ﻗﻬﻮة ﻗﺮﻳﺒﺔ؟

LESSON NOTES

Today, we’ll introduce a phrase that will help you find the place you are looking for. Today’s phrase is “Is there a (something) near here?” First we need something, so let’s use the word which means “coffee shop.” The word “qhwa” actually means both “coffee shop” and (ﻗﻬﻮة) ”qhwa“ “coffee.”

ﻛﺎﻳﻨﺔ ﺷﻲ ﻗﻬﻮة ﻗﺮﻳﺒﺔ؟) ”?In Arabic, “Is there a coffee shop near here?” is “Wash kayna shi qhwa qriba means “there is” in (ﻛﺎﻳﻨﺔ) ”makes the phrase a question. “Kayna (ﻭاش) ”The first word “wash (ﻭاش the feminine form. We use the feminine form of “there” here because it is followed by qhwa which ”is “coffee shop (ﻗﻬﻮة) ”translates into “a/an”, “qhwa (ﺷﻲ) ”is also a feminine noun. The next “shi ”.means “close by (ﻗﺮﻳﺒﺔ) ”and “qriba

Now to ask for a different place, we just replace the word for coffee shop with any other word and in Spoken Arabic. Because it’s a (ﺃﻭﻃﻴﻞ) ”the phrase works just fine. Let’s try “hotel” which is “otil masculine noun, we need to use the masculine form of “there is” (kayn) and of “close by” (qrib). “Is there a hotel near here?” is “Wash kayn shi otil qrib?”

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English Wash kayn shi qhwa qriba? Is there a coffee shop near ﻭاش ﻛﺎﻳﻨﺔ ﺷﻲ ﻗﻬﻮة ﻗﺮﻳﺒﺔ؟ by? ?Wash kayn shi otil qrib? Is there a hotel near by ﻭاش ﻛﺎﻳﻦ ﺷﻲ ﺃﻭﻃﻴﻞ ﻗﺮﻳﺐ؟

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English (.Kayn / kayna There is (masc.) / (fem ﻛﺎﻳﻦ / ﻛﺎﻳﻨﺔ (.Ma-kayn-sh / Ma-kayna-sh There is not (masc.)/(fem ﻣﺎﻛﺎﻳﻨﺶ / ﻣﺎﻛﺎﻳﻨﺎش Qhwa Coffee shop / coffee ﻗﻬﻮة Otil Hotel ﺃﻭﻃﻴﻞ Wash Interrogative ﻭاش Shi A/An ﺷﻲ

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“Kayn” and “kayna” are actually the participles for the verb “to be” but they are mostly used in Moroccan Arabic in the sense of “there is” or “there are.” We use them a lot, like when talking on the phone to ask “Is John there?” “Kayn John?”

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Now let’s look at the negative forms of “there is.”

There is not (masc.): ma-kayn-sh

There is not (fem.): ma-kayna-sh

Lesson 30: Directions I اﻟﻀﻮء Ddo

LESSON NOTES

In today’s lesson we’ll introduce you to directions that will help you find the place you are looking for. Previously we introduced, “Is there a something near here?” and “Where can I buy something?” today we’re going to work on understanding the answers. .

.(ﺳﻴﺮ ﻧﻴﺸﺎن) ”The first basic direction we’re going to cover is “Go straight.” In Arabic, it’s “Sir nishan is (ﺩﻭر ﻋﻞ ﻟﻴﺴﺮ) ”is “turn right” and “dur al-lisr (ﺩﻭر ﻋﻞ ﻟﻴﻤﻦ) ”Next, let’s work on turning. “dur al-limn “turn left.”

To say “it’s on the right” or “it’s on the left”, we use the same phrases as above but without the .(ﻋﻞ ﻟﻴﺴﺮ) ”and “it’s on the left” is “al-lisr ,(ﻋﻞ ﻟﻴﻤﻦ) ”word “dur.” So, “it’s on the right” is “al-limn

”Ddo“ .(اﻟﻀﻮء اﻷﺣﻤﺮ) ”Another useful phrase is: “Turn right at the light.” Light in Arabic is “ddo l-hmr means “the red.” Literally, “ddo l-hmr” literally means “the (اﻷﺣﻤﺮ) ”means “light” and “l-hmr (اﻟﻀﻮء) red light” but we use it to refer to the traffic light. “Turn right at the light” is “dur al-limn f ddo l-hmr” .(ﺩﻭر ﻋﻞ ﻟﻴﻤﻦ ﻓﺎﻟﻀﻮء اﻟﻸﺤﻤﺮ)

The .(ﻓﻮت اﻟﺰﻧﻘﺔ اﻷﻭﻟﯽ) ”The last phrase for today is “Pass the first street”, which is “fut znqa l-luwla ”.is “the first (اﻷﻭﻟﯽ) ”is “street” and “l-luwla (ﺯﻧﻘﺔ) ”means “pass”, “znqa (ﻓﻮت) ”first word “fut

With these phrases you’re set to explore!

PHRASES

Arabic Romanization English Shukran jazilan Thanks very much ﺷﻜﺮا ﺟﺰﻳﻼ Al-limn It's on the right ﻋﻞ ﻟﻴﻤﻦ Al-lisr It's on the left ﻋﻞ ﻟﻴﺴﺮ Fut znqa l-luwla Pass the first street ﻓﻮت اﻟﺰﻧﻘﺔ اﻷﻭﻟﯽ

VOCABULARY

Arabic Romanization English Ddo Light اﻟﻀﻮء l-hmr Red اﻷﺣﻤﺮ

Arabic Romanization English Fut Pass ﻓﻮت Znqa Street ﺯﻧﻘﺔ l-luwla The first اﻷﻭﻟﯽ Sir nishan Go straight ﺳﻴﺮ ﻧﻴﺸﺎن Dur al-limn Turn right ﺩﻭر ﻋﻞ ﻟﻴﻤﻦ Dur al-lisr Turn left ﺩﻭر ﻋﻞ ﻟﻴﺴﺮ Shukran Thanks ﺷﻜﺮا Ddo l-hmir Traffic light اﻟﻀﻮء اﻷﺣﻤﺮ

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When someone takes the times to give you directions, you can thank them saying “shukran” ”If you want to express stronger gratitude, like “thank you very much”, say “shukran jazilan .(ﺷﻜﺮا) .(ﺷﻜﺮا ﺟﺰﻳﻼ)

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Moroccans are very expressive and they use gestures a lot to emphasize that which is being said. You’ll see this in action especially when you ask them for directions. They’ll use their hand to tell you to go straight and to turn. This will be very helpful when you’re short of words.

Survival Phrases - Arabic (Part 1 end)

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More Survival Phrases - Arabic!

Continue on with Survival Phrases - Arabic (Part 2) Lessons 31-60 available now.

In Part 2 the following are just a few of the topics you'll master:

★ Taking a taxi without being taken advantage of

★ Getting around and asking directions and actually understanding the answer!

★ Learning Arabic using Arabic, and making lots of friends in the process

★ Making the most of a hotel stay, and exploring alternatives to the beaten path

★ Visiting the Post office and mailing thing home

★ Phone rentals and phone cards, don't travel without one!

★ Critical phrases for vegetarians and allergy suffers!

★ Talking to the doctor and explaining symptoms correctly

★ Getting the right medicine

★ Expressing yourself with adjectives and being understood

★ Home visits and proper protocol that will "wow" hosts

★ Getting help, this may be the most useful phrase you ever learn

Finally, thank you again!

If you have a story to share about how Survival Phrases - Arabic helped you with your travels, business, or personal relationships, we would love to hear about it!

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