Moroccan Arabic

Moroccan Arabic
Darija
العربية المغربية الدارجة
Pronunciation	[ddæɾiʒæ]
Native to	Morocco
Ethnicity	MoroccanArabs,also used as asecond languageby other ethnic groups in Morocco
Speakers	L1:29 million (2020) L2:9.6 million (2020) Total: 40 million (2020)
Language family	Afro-Asiatic Semitic West Semitic Central Semitic Arabic Maghrebi Moroccan Arabic
Dialects	West Moroccan Arabic East Moroccan Arabic Fessi dialect Judeo-Moroccan
Writing system	Arabic Alpha bet
Language codes
ISO 639-3	ary
Glottolog	moro1292
Map of Moroccan Arabic

Nawal speaking Moroccan Arabic.

Decorations written in Moroccan Arabic at Chez Ali palace inMarrakech.

Moroccan Arabic(Arabic:العربية المغربية الدارجة,romanized:al-ʻArabiyyah al-Maghribiyyah ad-Dārijalit. 'Moroccan vernacular Arabic'), also known asDarija(الدارجةorالداريجة), is thedialectal,vernacularform or forms ofArabicspoken in Morocco.It is part of theMaghrebi Arabicdialect continuumand as such is mutually intelligible to some extent withAlgerian Arabicand to a lesser extent withTunisian Arabic.It is spoken by 90.9% of the population of Morocco.WhileModern Standard Arabicis used to varying degrees in formal situations such as religious sermons, books, newspapers, government communications, news broadcasts and political talk shows, Moroccan Arabic is the predominant spoken language of the country and has a strong presence in Moroccan television entertainment, cinema and commercial advertising. Moroccan Arabic has many regional dialects and accents as well, with its mainstream dialect being the one used inCasablanca,Rabat,Tangier,MarrakeshandFez,and therefore it dominates the media and eclipses most of the other regional accents.

SIL Internationalclassifies Moroccan Arabic,Hassaniya ArabicandJudeo-Moroccan Arabicas different varieties of Arabic.

Dialects

A Moroccan person from the city ofSaléspeaking Moroccan Arabic

Moroccan Arabic was formed of several dialects of Arabic belonging to two genetically different groups:pre-HilalianandHilaliandialects.

Pre-Hilalian dialects

Ethno-linguistic map of northern Morocco: Pre-Hilalian speaking areas in purple (Mountain Arabic) and blue (old urban, village).

Pre-Hilalian dialects are a result of earlyArabizationphases of theMaghreb,from the 7th to the 12th centuries, concerning the main urban settlements, the harbors, the religious centres (zaouias) as well as the main trade routes. The dialects are generally classified in three types: (old) urban, "village" and "mountain" sedentary and Jewish dialects.In Morocco, several pre-Hilalian dialects are spoken:

• Urban dialects:Old dialects ofFes,Rabat,Salé,Taza,Tétouan,Wezzan,Chefchaouen,Tangier,Asilah,Larache,Ksar el-Kebir,MeknesandMarrakesh.
• Jebli dialects:Dialects of northwestern Morocco, spoken by theJebalapeople.
• Sedentary ( "village" ) dialects ofZerhounandSefrouand their neighboring tribes (Zerahna tribe for Zerhoun; Kechtala, Behalil and Yazgha tribes for Sefrou), remnants of pre-Hilalian dialects that were more widely spoken before the 12th century.
• Judeo-Moroccan,nearly extinct, formerly spoken byMoroccan Jews.

Hilalian dialects

Hilalian dialects(Bedouin dialects) were introduced following the migration of Arab nomadic tribes to Morocco in the 11th century, particularly theBanu Hilal,which the Hilalian dialects are named after.

The Hilalian dialects spoken in Morocco belong to theMaqilsubgroup,a family that includes three main dialectal areas:

• 'Aroubi Arabic(Western Moroccan Arabic): spoken in the western plains of Morocco byDoukkala,Abda,Tadla,Chaouia,Gharb,andZaers,and in the area north ofFesbyHyayna,Cheraga, Awlad Jama', etc.
• Eastern Moroccan Arabic:spoken inOujda,theOrientalregion and western Algeria (central and westernOranie)
• New urban dialects: predominantly Hilalian urban dialects, resulting from the migration movements from the countryside to cities in 20th century.
• Hassaniya Arabic:spoken in southern Morocco,Western SaharaandMauritania).Among the dialects, Hassaniya is often considered as distinct from Moroccan Arabic.

Phonology

Vowels

Monophthongphonemes of Moroccan Arabic

	Short			Long
	Front	Central	Back	Front	Back
Close	ə		u	iː	uː
Mid
Open				aː

One of the most notable features of Moroccan Arabic is the collapse of short vowels. Initially, short/a/and/i/were merged into a phoneme/ə/(however, some speakers maintain a difference between/a/and/ə/when adjacent to pharyngeal/ʕ/and/ħ/). This phoneme (/ə/) was then deleted entirely in most positions; for the most part, it is maintained only in the position /...CəC#/ or /...CəCC#/ (where C represents any consonant and # indicates a word boundary), i.e. when appearing as the last vowel of a word. When/ə/is not deleted, it is pronounced as a very short vowel, tending towards[ɑ]in the vicinity ofemphatic consonants,[a]in the vicinity of pharyngeal/ʕ/and/ħ/(for speakers who have merged /a/ and/ə/in this environment), and[ə]elsewhere. Original short/u/usually merges with/ə/except in the vicinity of a labial or velar consonant. In positions where/ə/was deleted, /u/ was also deleted, and is maintained only aslabializationof the adjacent labial or velar consonant; where/ə/is maintained,/u/surfaces as[ʊ].This deletion of short vowels can result in long strings of consonants (a feature shared with Berber and certainly derived from it). These clusters are never simplified; instead, consonants occurring between other consonants tend to syllabify, according to a sonorance hierarchy. Similarly, and unlike most other Arabic dialects, doubled consonants are never simplified to a single consonant, even when at the end of a word or preceding another consonant.

Some dialects are more conservative in their treatment of short vowels. For example, some dialects allow/u/in more positions. Dialects of the Sahara, and eastern dialects near the border of Algeria, preserve a distinction between/a/and/i/and allow/a/to appear at the beginning of a word, e.g./aqsˤarˤ/"shorter" (standard/qsˤərˤ/),/atˤlaʕ/"go up!" (standard/tˤlaʕ/or/tˤləʕ/),/asˤħaːb/"friends" (standard/sˤħab/).

Long/aː/,/iː/and/uː/are maintained as semi-long vowels, which are substituted for both short and long vowels in most borrowings from Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). Long/aː/,/iː/and/uː/also have many more allophones than in most other dialects; in particular,/aː/,/iː/,/uː/appear as[ɑ],[e],[o]in the vicinity ofemphatic consonantsand[q],[χ],[ʁ],[r],but[æ],[i],[u]elsewhere. (Most other Arabic dialects only have a similar variation for the phoneme/aː/.) In some dialects, such as that ofMarrakech,front-rounded and other allophones also exist. Allophones in vowels usually do not exist inloanwords.

Emphatic spreading (i.e. the extent to which emphatic consonants affect nearby vowels) occurs much less than inEgyptian Arabic.Emphasis spreads fairly rigorously towards the beginning of a word and into prefixes, but much less so towards the end of a word. Emphasis spreads consistently from a consonant to a directly following vowel, and less strongly when separated by an intervening consonant, but generally does not spread rightwards past a full vowel. For example,/bidˤ-at/[bedɑt͡s]"eggs" (/i/and/a/both affected),/tˤʃaʃ-at/[tʃɑʃæt͡s]"sparks" (rightmost/a/not affected),/dˤrˤʒ-at/[drˤʒæt͡s]"stairs" (/a/usually not affected),/dˤrb-at-u/[drˤbat͡su]"she hit him" (with[a]variable but tending to be in between[ɑ]and[æ];no effect on/u/),/tˤalib/[tɑlib]"student" (/a/affected but not/i/). Contrast, for example, Egyptian Arabic, where emphasis tends to spread forward and backward to both ends of a word, even through several syllables.

Emphasis is audible mostly through its effects on neighboring vowels or syllabic consonants, and through the differing pronunciation of/t/[t͡s]and/tˤ/[t].Actual pharyngealization of "emphatic" consonants is weak and may be absent entirely. In contrast with some dialects, vowels adjacent to emphatic consonants are pure; there is no diphthong-like transition between emphatic consonants and adjacent front vowels.

Consonants

Consonant phonemes of Moroccan Arabic

		Labial		Dental-Alveolar		Palatal	Velar	Uvular	Pharyngeal	Glottal
		plain	emphatic	plain	emphatic
Nasal		m	mˤ	n
Plosive	voiceless	(p)		t	tˤ		k	q		ʔ
	voiced	b	bˤ	d	dˤ		ɡ
Fricative	voiceless	f	(fˤ)	s	sˤ	ʃ		χ	ħ	h
	voiced	(v)		z	zˤ	ʒ		ʁ	ʕ
Tap				ɾ	ɾˤ
Trill				r	rˤ
Approximant				l	lˤ	j	w

Phonetic notes:

• Non-emphatic/t/In normal circumstances, is pronounced with noticeableaffrication,almost like[t͡s](still distinguished from a sequence of/t/+/s/), and hence is easily distinguishable from emphatic/tˤ/which can be pronounced as[t].However, in some recent loanwords from European languages, a non-affricated, non-emphatic[t]appears, distinguished from emphatic/tˤ/primarily by its lack of effect on adjacent vowels (see above; an alternative analysis is possible).
• /mˤʷ,bˤʷ,fˤʷ/ are very distinct consonants that only occur geminated, and almost always come at the beginning of a word. They function completely differently from other emphatic consonants: They are pronounced with heavy pharyngealization, affect adjacent short/unstable vowels but not full vowels, and are pronounced with a noticeable diphthongal off-glide between one of these consonants and a following front vowel. Most of their occurrences can be analyzed as underlying sequences of/mw/,/fw/,/bw/(which appear frequently in diminutives, for example). However, a few lexical items appear to have independent occurrences of these phonemes, e.g./mˤmˤʷ-/"mother" (with attached possessive, e.g./mˤmˤʷək/"your mother" ).
• /p/and/v/occur mostly in recent borrowings from European languages, and may be assimilated to/b/or/f/in some speakers.
• Unlike in most other Arabic dialects (but, again, similar to Berber), non-emphatic/r/and emphatic/rˤ/are two entirely separate phonemes, almost never contrasting in related forms of a word.
• /lˤ/is rare in native words; in nearly all cases of native words with vowels indicating the presence of a nearby emphatic consonant, there is a nearby triggering/tˤ/,/dˤ/,/sˤ/,/zˤ/or/rˤ/.Many recent European borrowings appear to require (lˤ) or some other unusual emphatic consonant in order to account for the proper vowel allophones; but an alternative analysis is possible for these words where the vowel allophones are considered to be (marginal) phonemes on their own.
• Original/q/splits lexically into/q/and/ɡ/in many dialects (such as inCasablanca) but/q/is preserved all the time in most big cities such asRabat,Fes,Marrakech,etc. and all of northern Morocco (Tangier,Tetouan,Chefchaouen,etc.); for all words, both alternatives exist.
• Original/dʒ/normally appears as/ʒ/,but as/ɡ/(sometimes/d/) if a sibilant, lateral or rhotic consonant appears later in the same stem:/ɡləs/"he sat" (MSA/dʒalas/),/ɡzzar/"butcher" (MSA/dʒazzaːr/),/duz/"go past" (MSA/dʒuːz/) like in westernAlgeriandialects.
• Original/s/is converted to/ʃ/if/ʃ/occurs elsewhere in the same stem, and/z/is similarly converted to/ʒ/as a result of a following/ʒ/:/ʃəmʃ/"sun" vs. MSA/ʃams/,/ʒuʒ/"two" vs. MSA/zawdʒ/"pair",/ʒaʒ/"glass" vs. MSA/zudʒaːdʒ/,etc. This does not apply to recent borrowings from MSA (e.g./mzaʒ/"disposition" ), nor as a result of the negative suffix/ʃ/or/ʃi/.
• The gemination of the flap/ɾ/results in a trill/r/.

Writing

A 1922 issue of the newspaperEl Horriain Darija withHebrew script.

Through most of its history, Moroccan vernacular Arabic has usually not been written.Due to thediglossicnature of theArabic language,most literate Muslims in Morocco would write in Standard Arabic, even if they spoke Darija as a first language.However, since Standard Arabic was typically taught in Islamic religious contexts,Moroccan Jewsusually would not learn Standard Arabic and would write instead in Darija, or more specifically a variety known asJudeo-Moroccan Arabic,usingHebrew script.Arisalaon Semitic languages written in Maghrebi Judeo-Arabic byJudah ibn Quraishto the Jews of Fes dates back to the ninth-century.

Al-Kafif az-Zarhuni'sepic 14th centuryzajalMala'bat al-Kafif az-Zarhuni,aboutAbu al-Hasan Ali ibn Othman al-Marini'scampaign onHafsidIfriqiya,is considered the firstliterary workin Darija.

Most books and magazines are inModern Standard Arabic;Qur'anbooks are written and read inClassical Arabic,and there is no universally standard written system for Darija. There is also a loosely standardizedLatin systemused for writing Moroccan Arabic in electronic media, such as texting and chat, often based on sound-letter correspondences from French, English or Spanish ('sh' or 'ch' for English 'sh', 'u' or 'ou' for English 'oo', etc.) and using numbers to represent sounds not found in French or English (2-3-7-9 used for ق-ح-ع-ء, respectively.).

In the last few years, there have been some publications in Moroccan Darija, such asHicham Nostik'sNotes of a Moroccan Infidel,as well as basic science books by Moroccan physics professorFarouk El Merrakchi.Newspapers in Moroccan Arabic also exist, such as Souq Al Akhbar, Al Usbuu Ad-Daahik,the regional newspaper Al Amal (formerly published byLatifa Akherbach), andKhbar Bladna(news of our country), which was published by Tangier-based American painter Elena Prentice between 2002 and 2006.

The latter also published books written in Moroccan Arabic, mostly novels and stories, written by authors such asKenza El GhaliandYoussef Amine Alami.

Vocabulary

Substrates

Moroccan Arabic is characterized by a strongBerber,as well asLatin(African Romance),substratum.

Following theArab conquest,Berber languagesremained widely spoken. During theirArabisation,some Berber tribes became bilingual for generations before abandoning their language for Arabic; however, they kept a substantial Berber stratum that increases from the east to the west of the Maghreb, making Moroccan Arabic dialects the ones most influenced by Berber.

More recently, the influx ofAndalusi peopleand Spanish-speaking–Moriscos(between the 15th and the 17th centuries) influenced urban dialects with Spanish substrate (and loanwords).

Vocabulary and loanwords

The vocabulary of Moroccan Arabic is mostlySemiticand derived fromClassical Arabic.It also contains manyBerberloanwords which represent 10% to 15% of its vocabulary,supplemented byFrenchandSpanishloanwords.

There are noticeable lexical differences between Moroccan Arabic and most other Arabic languages. Some words are essentially unique to Moroccan Arabic:daba"now". Many others, however, are characteristic of Maghrebi Arabic as a whole including both innovations and unusual retentions of Classical vocabulary that disappeared elsewhere, such ashbeṭ'"go down" from Classicalhabaṭ.Others are shared withAlgerian Arabicsuch ashḍeṛ"talk", from Classicalhadhar"babble", andtemma"there", from Classicalthamma.

There are a number of Moroccan Arabic dictionaries in existence:

• A Dictionary of Moroccan Arabic: Moroccan-English,ed.Richard S. Harrell& Harvey Sobelman. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 1963 (reprinted 2004.)
• Mu`jam al-fuṣḥā fil-`āmmiyyah al-maghribiyyahمعجم الفصحى في العامية المغربية, Muhammad Hulwi, Rabat: al-Madaris 1988.
• Dictionnaire Colin d'arabe dialectal marocain(Rabat, éditions Al Manahil, ministère des Affaires Culturelles), by a Frenchman named Georges Séraphin Colin, who devoted nearly all his life to it from 1921 to 1977. The dictionary contains 60,000 entries and was published in 1993, after Colin's death.

Examples of words inherited from Classical Arabic

• kəlb:dog (orig. kalb كلب)
• qəṭ:cat (orig. qiṭṭ قط)
• qərd:monkey (orig. qird قرد)
• bħar:sea (orig. baħr بحر)
• šəmš:sun (orig. šams شمس)
• bab:door (orig. bab باب)
• ħiṭ:wall (orig. ħā'iṭ حائط)
• bagra/baqra:cow (orig. baqarah بقرة)
• koul:eat (orig. akala أكل)
• fikra:idea (orig. fikrah فكرة)
• ħub:love (orig. ħubb حب)
• dhab:gold (orig. dhahab ذهب)
• ħdid:metal (orig. ħadid حديد)
• ržəl:foot (orig. rijl رجل)
• ras:head (orig. ra's رأس)
• wžəh:face (orig. wažh وجه)
• bit:room (orig. bayt بيت)
• xiṭ:wire (orig. khayṭ خيط)
• bənti:my daughter (orig. ibnati ابنتي)
• wəldi:my son (orig. waladi ولدي)
• rajəl:man (orig. rajul رجل)
• mra:woman (orig. imra'ah امرأة)
• colors=red/green/blue/yellow:ħmər/xdər/zrəq/ṣfər(orig. aħmar/axdar/azraq/aṣfar أحمر/أخضر/أزرق/أصفر)
• šħal:how much (orig. ayyu šayʾ ḥāl أَيُّ شَيْء حَال)
• ʕlāš:why (orig. ʿalā ʾayyi šayʾ, عَلَى أَيِّ شَيْء)
• fīn:where (orig. ʿfī ʾaynaʾ فِي أَيْنَ)
• ʢṭīni: give me (orig. aʢṭinī أعطني)

Examples of loanwords from French

• forshita/forsheta:fourchette (fork), pronounced[foɾʃitˤɑ]
• tonobil/tomobil:automobile (car)[tˤonobil]
• telfaza:télévision (television)[tlfazɑ]
• radio:radio[ɾɑdˤjo],rādiois common across most varieties of Arabic).
• bartma:appartement (apartment)[bɑɾtˤmɑ]
• rompa:rondpoint (traffic circle)[ɾambwa]
• tobis:autobus (bus)[tˤobis]
• kamera:caméra (camera)[kɑmeɾɑ]
• portable:portable (cell phone)[poɾtˤɑbl]
• tilifūn:téléphone (telephone)[tilifuːn]
• briki:briquet (lighter)[bɾike]
• parisiana:a French baguette, more common iskomera,stick
• disk:song
• tran:train (train)[træːn]
• serbita:serviette (napkin)[srbitɑ]
• tabla:table (table)[tɑblɑ]
• ordinatūr/pc:ordinateur / pc
• boulis:police

Examples of loanwords from Spanish

Some loans might have come throughAndalusi Arabicbrought byMoriscoswhen they were expelled fromSpainfollowing theChristian Reconquestor, alternatively, they date from the time of theSpanish protectorate in Morocco.

• rwida:rueda (wheel), pronounced[ɾwedˤɑ]
• kuzina:cocina (kitchen)[kuzinɑ]
• skwila:escuela (school)[skwilɑ]
• simana:semana (week)[simɑnɑ]
• manta:manta (blanket)[mɑntˤɑ]
• rial:real (five centimes; the term has also been borrowed into many other Arabic dialects)[ɾjæl]
• fundo:fondo (bottom of the sea or the swimming pool)[fundˤo]
• karrossa:carrosa (carriage)[kɑrosɑ]
• kurda:cuerda (rope)[koɾdˤɑ]
• kama(in the north only): cama (bed)[kɑmˤɑ]
• blassa:plaza (place)[blɑsɑ]
• l'banio:el baño (toilet)[əlbɑnjo]
• komir:comer (but Moroccans use the expression to name the Parisian bread)[komeɾ]
• Disko:song (in the north only)[disko]
• elmaryo:El armario (the cupboard)[elmɑɾjo]
• playa:playa (beach)[plɑjɑ]
• mariya:marea (water flow)[mɑɾjɑ]
• pasiyo:paseo (walk)[pasijo]
• karratera:carretera (road)[karateɾa]

Examples of loanwords from Portuguese

They are used in several coastal cities across the Moroccan coast likeOualidia,El Jadida,andTangier.

• mala:mala (Trunk)
• kruz:da cruz (Cross)
• cabayla:cavala (Mackerel)
• crgoje(city AzemmourEl Jadida Province): Dragões (Dragon)
• Rwibo/Ruibio/Robio:Ruivo (Redhaired)

It is also used as a compliment in northern Morocco

Examples of regional differences

• Now: "daba" in the majority of regions, but "druk" or "druka" is also used in some regions in the centre and south and "drwek" or "durk" in the east.
• When?: "fuqāš" in most regions, "fuyāx" in the Northwest (Tangier-Tetouan) but "imta" in the Atlantic region and "weqtāš" in Rabat region.
• What?: "ašnu", "šnu" or "āš" in most regions, but "šenni", "šennu" in the north, "šnu", "š" in Fes, and "wašta", "wasmu", "wāš" in the far east.

Some useful sentences

Note: All sentences are written according to the transcription used in Richard Harrell,A Short Reference Grammar of Moroccan Arabic(Examples with their pronunciation).:

• a i u= full vowels = normally[æiu],but[ɑeo]in the vicinity of an emphatic consonant orq( "vicinity" generally means not separated by a full vowel)
• e= /ə/
• q= /q/
• x ġ= /x ɣ/
• y= /j/
• t=[tˢ]
• š ž=/ʃʒ/
• ḥ ʿ=/ħʕ/
• ḍ ḷ ṛ ṣ ṭ ẓ= emphatic consonants =/dˤlˤrˤsˤtˤzˤ/(ṭis notaffricated,unliket)

English	Western Moroccan Arabic	Northern (Jebli, Tanjawi and Tetouani) Moroccan Arabic	Eastern (Oujda) Moroccan Arabic	Western Moroccan Arabic (Transliterated)	Northern (Jebli, Tetouani) Moroccan Arabic (Transliterated)	Eastern (Oujda) Moroccan Arabic (Transliterated)
How are you?	لا باس؟	كيف نتينا؟/لا باس؟ بخير؟	راك شباب؟ /لا باس؟/ راك غايَ؟	la bas?	la bas? / bi-xayr?/ kif ntina? / amandra?	la bas? / rak ġaya / rak šbab?
Can you help me?	يمكن لك تعاونني؟	تقدر تعاونني؟/ واخا تعاونني؟	يمكن لك تعاونني؟	yemken-lek tʿaweni?	teqder dʿaweni? waxa dʿaweni?	yemken-lek tʿaweni?
Do you speak English?	واش كَتهدر بالانّڭليزية؟/ واش كتدوي بالانّڭليزية؟	واش كَتهدر بالانّڭليزية؟/كتهدر الانّڭليزية؟	واش تهدر الانّڭليزية؟	waš ka-tehder lengliziya / waš ka-tedwi be-l-lengliziya?	waš ka-tehder be-l-lengliziya? / ka-tehder lengliziya?	waš tehder lengliziya?
Excuse me	سمح ليَ	سمح لي	سمح لِيَ	smaḥ-liya	smaḥ-li	smaḥ-liya
Good luck	الله يعاون/الله يسهل			allah y'awn / allah ysahel
Good morning	صباح الخير/صباح النور			ṣbaḥ l-xir / ṣbaḥ n-nur
Good night	تصبح على خير	الله يمسيك بخير	تصبح على خير	teṣbaḥ ʿla xir	lay ymsik be-xer	teṣbaḥ ʿla xir
Goodbye	بالسلامة / تهلا	بالسلامة	بالسلامة	be-slama / tḥălla	be-slama	be-slama
Happy new year	سنة سعيدة			sana saʿida
Hello	السلام عليكم/اهلاً	السلام عليكم/اهلاً	السلام عليكم	s-salam ʿalikum / as-salamu ʿalaykum (Classical) / ʔahlan	as-salamu ʿalaykum (Classical) / ʔahlan	s-salam ʿlikum
How are you doing?	لا باس؟			la bas (ʿlik)?
How are you?	كي داير؟/كي دايرة؟	كيف نتين؟/كيف نتينا؟	كي راك؟	ki dayer?(masculine)/ ki dayra?(feminine)	kif ntin?(Jebli)/ kif ntina [ki tina]?(Northern urban)	ki rak?
Is everything okay?	كل شي مزيان؟	كل شي مزيان؟ /كل شي هو هداك؟؟	كل شي مليح؟	kul-ši mezyan?	kul-ši mezyan? / kul-ši huwa hadak?	kul-ši mliḥ? / kul-ši zin?
Nice to meet you	متشرفين			metšaṛṛfin[mət.ʃɑrˤrˤ.fen]
No thanks	لا شكراً			la šukran
Please	الله يخليك/عفاك	الله يعزك / الله يخليك / عفاك	الله يعزك / الله يخليك	ḷḷa yxallik / ʿafak	ḷḷa yxallik / ḷḷa yʿizek / ʿafak	ḷḷa yxallik / ḷḷa yʿizek
Take care	تهلا فراسك	تهلا	تهلا فراسك	tḥălla f-ṛaṣek	tḥălla	tḥălla f-ṛaṣek
Thank you very much	شكراً بزاف			šukran bezzaf
What do you do?	فاش خدام/شنو كتدير؟			faš xddam? / chno katdir	škatʿăddel? / šenni xaddam?(masculine)/ šenni xaddama?(feminine)/ š-ka-dexdem? / šini ka-teʿmel/tʿadal f-hyatak?	faš texdem?(masculine)/ faš txedmi?(feminine)
What's your name?	شنو اسمك؟ / شنو سميتك؟			ašnu smiytek? / šu smiytek	šenni ʔesmek? /šenno ʔesmek? / kif-aš msemy nta/ntinah?	wašta smiytek?
Where are you from?	منين نتا؟			mnin nta?(masculine)/ mnin nti?(feminine)	mnayn ntina?	min ntaya?(masculine)/ min ntiya?(feminine)
Where are you going?	فين غادي؟			fin ġhadi?	fayn machi?(masculine)/ fayn mašya?(feminine)	f-rak temchi? / f-rak rayaḥ
You are welcome	بلا جميل/مرحبا/دّنيا هانية/ماشي مشكل / العفو			bla žmil/merḥba/ddenya hania/maši muškil/l'afo	bla žmil/merḥba/ddunya hania/maši muškil/l'afo	bla žmil/merḥba/ddenya hania/maši muškil/l'afo

Further useful phrases

English	Moroccan Arabic	Latin Transliteration
Yes.	.ايه	eyeh.
Yes please.	.وخا شكرا	wakha shoukran.
No.	.لا	la.
Thank you.	.شكراً	shoukran.
I'd like a coffee please.	.واحد القهوة عفاك	wahed lqahoua afak.
What time is it?	شحال فالساعة؟	ch-hal fssa-a?
Can you repeat that please?	وخا تعاود عفاك؟	wakha t-awoud afak?
Please speak more slowly.	.هضر بشويا عافاك	hder bshwiya afak.
I don't understand.	.ما فهمتش	ma fhamtch.
Sorry.	.سمح لي	smeh li.
Where are the toilets?	فين الطواليط؟	fin toilettes?
How much does this cost?	بشحال هادا؟	bch-hal hada?
Welcome!	!تفضّل	tfdel!
Good evening.	.مسا الخير	msa lkheir.

Grammar

Verbs

Introduction

The regular Moroccan Arabic verb conjugates with a series of prefixes and suffixes. The stem of the conjugated verb may change a bit, depending on the conjugation:

The stem of the Moroccan Arabic verb for "to write" iskteb.

Past tense

The past tense ofkteb(write) is as follows:

I wrote:kteb-t

You wrote:kteb-ti(some regions tend to differentiate between masculine and feminine, the masculine form iskteb-t,the femininekteb-ti)

He/it wrote:kteb(can also be an order to write; kteb er-rissala: Write the letter)

She/it wrote:ketb-et

We wrote:kteb-na

You (plural) wrote:kteb-tu/kteb-tiu

They wrote:ketb-u

The stemktebturns intoketbbefore a vowel suffix because of the process ofinversiondescribed above.

Present tense

The present tense ofktebis as follows:

I am writing:ka-ne-kteb

You are (masculine) writing:ka-te-kteb

You are (feminine) writing:ka-t-ketb-i

He's/it is writing:ka-ye-kteb

She is/it is writing:ka-te-kteb

We are writing:ka-n-ketb-u

You (plural) are writing:ka-t-ketb-u

They are writing:ka-y-ketb-u

The stemktebturns intoketbbefore a vowel suffix because of the process ofinversiondescribed above. Between the prefixka-n-, ka-t-, ka-y-and the stemkteb,aneappears but not between the prefix and the transformed stemketbbecause of the same restriction that produces inversion.

In the north, "you are writing" is alwayska-de-ktebregardless of who is addressed. This is also the case ofdeinde-ktebas northerners prefer to usedeand southerners preferte.

Instead of the prefixka,some speakers prefer the use ofta(ta-ne-kteb"I am writing" ). The coexistence of these two prefixes is from historic differences. In general,kais more used in the north andtain the south, some other prefixes likela,a,qaare less used. In some regions like in the east (Oujda), most speakers use no preverb (ne-kteb,te-kteb,y-kteb,etc.).

Other tenses

To form the future tense, the prefixka-/ta-is removed and replaced with the prefixġa-,ġad-orġadiinstead (e.g.ġa-ne-kteb"I will write",ġad-ketb-u(north) orġadi t-ketb-u"You (plural) will write" ).

For the subjunctive and infinitive, theka-is removed (bġit ne-kteb"I want to write",bġit te-kteb"I want 'you to write" ).

The imperative is conjugated with the suffixes of the present tense but without any prefixes or preverbs:

ktebWrite! (masculine singular)

ketb-iWrite! (feminine singular)

ketb-uWrite! (plural)

Negation

Main article:Negation in Arabic

One characteristic of Moroccan Arabic syntax, which it shares with other North African varieties as well as some southern Levantine dialect areas, is in the two-part negative verbal circumfix/ma-...-ʃi/.(In many regions, including Marrakech, the final/i/vowel is not pronounced so it becomes/ma-...-ʃ/.)

• Past:/kteb/"he wrote"/ma-kteb-ʃi/"he did not write"
• Present:/ka-j-kteb/"he writes"/ma-ka-j-kteb-ʃi/"he does not write"

/ma-/ comes from the Classical Arabic negator /ma/. /-ʃi/ is a development of Classical /ʃajʔ/ "thing". The development of a circumfix is similar to the French circumfixne... pasin whichnecomes from Latinnon"not" andpascomes from Latinpassus"step". (Originally,paswould have been used specifically with motion verbs, as in "I did not walk a step". It was generalised to other verbs.)

The negative circumfix surrounds the entire verbal composite, including direct and indirect object pronouns:

• /ma-kteb-hom-li-ʃi/"he did not write them to me"
• /ma-ka-j-kteb-hom-li-ʃi/"he does not write them to me"
• /ma-ɣadi-j-kteb-hom-li-ʃi/"he will not write them to me"
• /waʃma-kteb-hom-li-ʃi/"did he not write them to me?"
• /waʃma-ka-j-kteb-hom-li-ʃi/"does he not write them to me?"
• /waʃma-ɣadi-j-kteb-hom-li-ʃi/"will he not write them to me?"

Future and interrogative sentences use the same/ma-...-ʃi/circumfix (unlike, for example, in Egyptian Arabic). Also, unlike in Egyptian Arabic, there are no phonological changes to the verbal cluster as a result of adding the circumfix. In Egyptian Arabic, adding the circumfix can trigger stress shifting, vowel lengthening and shortening, elision when /ma-/ comes into contact with a vowel, addition or deletion of a short vowel, etc. However, they do not occur in Moroccan Arabic (MA):

• There is no phonological stress in MA.
• There is no distinction between long and short vowels in MA.
• There are no restrictions on complex consonant clusters in MA and hence no need to insert vowels to break up such clusters.
• There are no verbal clusters that begin with a vowel. The short vowels in the beginning of Forms IIa(V), and such, have already been deleted. MA has first-person singular non-past /ne-/ in place of Egyptian /a-/.

Negative pronouns such aswalu"nothing",ḥta ḥaja"nothing" andḥta waḥed"nobody" can be added to the sentence withoutšias a suffix:

• ma-ġa-ne-kteb walu"I will not write anything"
• ma-te-kteb ḥta ḥaja"Do not write anything"
• ḥta waḥed ma-ġa-ye-kteb"Nobody will write"
• wellah ma-ne-kteborwellah ma-ġa-ne-kteb"I swear to God I will not write"

Note thatwellah ma-ne-ktebcould be a response to a command to writektebwhilewellah ma-ġa-ne-ktebcould be an answer to a question likewaš ġa-te-kteb?"Are you going to write?"

In the north, "'you are writing" is alwayska-de-ktebregardless of who is addressed. It is also the case ofdeinde-kteb,as northerners prefer to usedeand southerners preferte.

Instead of the prefixka,some speakers prefer the use ofta(ta-ne-kteb"I am writing" ). The co-existence of these two prefixes is from historical differences. In generalkais more used in the north andtain the south. In some regions like the east (Oujda), most speakers use no preverb:

• ka ma-ġadi-ši-te-kteb?!

In detail

Verbs in Moroccan Arabic are based on aconsonantal rootcomposed of three or four consonants. The set of consonants communicates the basic meaning of a verb. Changes to the vowels between the consonants, along with prefixes and/or suffixes, specify grammatical functions such as tense, person and number in addition to changes in the meaning of the verb that embody grammatical concepts such ascausative,intensive,passiveorreflexive.

Each particularlexical verbis specified by two stems, one used for the past tense and one used for non-past tenses, along withsubjunctiveandimperativemoods. To the former stem, suffixes are added to mark the verb for person, number and gender. To the latter stem, a combination of prefixes and suffixes are added. (Very approximately, the prefixes specify the person and the suffixes indicate number and gender.) The third person masculine singular past tense form serves as the "dictionary form" used to identify a verb like theinfinitivein English. (Arabic has no infinitive.) For example, the verb meaning "write" is often specified askteb,which actually means "he wrote". In the paradigms below, a verb will be specified askteb/ykteb(ktebmeans "he wrote" andyktebmeans "he writes" ), indicating the past stem (kteb-) and the non-past stem (also-kteb-,obtained by removing the prefixy-).

The verb classes in Moroccan Arabic are formed along two axes. The first orderivationalaxis (described as "form I", "form II", etc.) is used to specify grammatical concepts such ascausative,intensive,passiveorreflexiveand mostly involves varying the consonants of a stem form. For example, from the root K-T-B "write" are derived form Ikteb/ykteb"write", form IIketteb/yketteb"cause to write", form IIIkateb/ykateb"correspond with (someone)" etc. The second orweaknessaxis (described as "strong", "weak", "hollow", "doubled" or "assimilated" ) is determined by the specific consonants making up the root, especially whether a particular consonant is a "w" or "y", and mostly involves varying the nature and location of the vowels of a stem form. For example, so-calledweakverbs have one of those two letters as the last root consonant, which is reflected in the stem as a final vowel instead of a final consonant (ṛma/yṛmi"throw" from Ṛ-M-Y). Meanwhile,hollowverbs are usually caused by one of those two letters as the middle root consonant, and the stems of such verbs have a full vowel (/a/, /i/ or /u/) before the final consonant, often along with only two consonants (žab/yžib"bring" from Ž-Y-B).

It is important to distinguish between strong, weak, etc.stemsand strong, weak, etc.roots.For example, X-W-F is a hollowroot,but the corresponding form II stemxuwwef/yxuwwef"frighten" is a strongstem:

• Weak roots are those that have awor ayas the last consonant. Weak stems are those that have a vowel as the last segment of the stem. For the most part, there is a one-to-one correspondence between weak roots and weak stems. However, form IX verbs with a weak root will show up the same way as other root types (with doubled stems in most other dialects but with hollow stems in Moroccan Arabic).
• Hollow roots are triliteral roots that have awor ayas the last consonant. Hollow stems are those that end with /-VC/ in which V is a long vowel (most other dialects) or full vowel in Moroccan Arabic (/a/, /i/ or /u/). Only triliteral hollow roots form hollow stems and only in forms I, IV, VII, VIII and X. In other cases, a strong stem generally results. In Moroccan Arabic, all form IX verbs yield hollow stems regardless of root shape:sman"be fat" from S-M-N.
• Doubled roots are roots that have the final two consonants identical. Doubled stems end with a geminate consonant. Only Forms I, IV, VII, VIII, and X yield a doubled stem from a doubled root. Other forms yield a strong stem. In addition, in most dialects (but not Moroccan), all stems in Form IX are doubled: Egyptian Arabiciḥmáṛṛ/yiḥmáṛṛ"be red, blush" from Ḥ-M-R.
• Assimilated roots are those where the first consonant is awor ay.Assimilated stems begin with a vowel. Only Form I (and Form IV?) yields assimilated stems and only in the non-past. There are none In Moroccan Arabic.
• Strong roots and stems are those that fall under none of the other categories described above. It is common for a strong stem to correspond with a non-strong root but the reverse is rare.

Table of verb forms

In this section, all verb classes and their corresponding stems are listed, excluding the small number of irregular verbs described above. Verb roots are indicated schematically using capital letters to stand for consonants in the root:

• F = first consonant of root
• M = middle consonant of three-consonant root
• S = second consonant of four-consonant root
• T = third consonant of four-consonant root
• L = last consonant of root

Hence, the root F-M-L stands for all three-consonant roots, and F-S-T-L stands for all four-consonant roots. (Traditional Arabic grammar uses F-ʕ-L and F-ʕ-L-L, respectively, but the system used here appears in a number of grammars of spoken Arabic dialects and is probably less confusing for English speakers since the forms are easier to pronounce than those involving /ʕ/.)

The following table lists the prefixes and suffixes to be added to mark tense, person, number, gender and the stem form to which they are added. The forms involving a vowel-initial suffix and corresponding stemPA_vorNP_vare highlighted in silver. The forms involving a consonant-initial suffix and corresponding stemPA_care highlighted in gold. The forms involving no suffix and corresponding stemPA₀orNP₀are not highlighted.

Tense/Mood		Past		Non-Past
Person		Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
1st		PAc-t	PAc-na	n(e)-NP0	n(e)-NP0-u/w
2nd	masculine	PAc-ti	PAc-tiw	t(e)-NP0	t(e)-NPv-u/w
	feminine			t(e)-NPv-i/y
3rd	masculine	PA0	PAv-u/w	y-NP0	y-NPv-u/w
	feminine	PAv-et		t(e)-NP0

The following table lists the verb classes along with the form of the past and non-past stems, active and passive participles, and verbal noun, in addition to an example verb for each class.

Notes:

• Italicized forms are those that follow automatically from the regular rules of deletion of /e/.
• In the past tense, there can be up to three stems:
  • When only one form appears, this same form is used for all three stems.
  • When three forms appear, these represent first-singular, third-singular and third-plural, which indicate thePA_c,PA₀andPA_vstems, respectively.
  • When two forms appear, separated by a comma, these represent first-singular and third-singular, which indicate thePA_candPA₀stems. When two forms appear, separated by a semicolon, these represent third-singular and third-plural, which indicate thePA₀andPA_vstems. In both cases, the missing stem is the same as the third-singular (PA₀) stem.
• Not all forms have a separate verb class for hollow or doubled roots. In such cases, the table below has the notation "(use strong form)", and roots of that shape appear as strong verbs in the corresponding form; e.g. Form II strong verbdˤáyyaʕ/yidˤáyyaʕ"waste, lose" related to Form I hollow verbdˤaʕ/yidˤiʕ"be lost", both from root Dˤ-Y-ʕ.

Form	Strong			Weak			Hollow			Doubled
	Past	Non-Past	Example	Past	Non-Past	Example	Past	Non-Past	Example	Past	Non-Past	Example
I	FMeL;FeMLu	yFMeL,yFeMLu	kteb/ykteb"write",ʃrˤeb/yʃrˤeb"drink"	FMit, FMa	yFMi	rˤma/yrˤmi"throw",ʃra/yʃri"buy"	FeLt, FaL	yFiL	baʕ/ybiʕ"sell",ʒab/yʒib"bring"	FeMMit, FeMM	yFeMM	ʃedd/yʃedd"close",medd/ymedd"hand over"
		yFMoL,yFeMLu	dxel/ydxol"enter",sken/yskon"reside"		yFMa	nsa/ynsa"forget"		yFuL	ʃaf/yʃuf"see",daz/yduz"pass"	FoMMit, FoMM	yFoMM	koħħ/ykoħħ"cough"
					yFMu	ħba/yħbu"crawl"		yFaL	xaf/yxaf"sleep",ban/yban"seem"
							FoLt, FaL	yFuL	qal/yqul"say",kan/ykun"be" (the only examples)
II	FeMMeL;FeMMLu	yFeMMeL,yFeMMLu	beddel/ybeddel"change"	FeMMit, FeMMa	yFeMMi	werra/ywerri"show"	(same as strong)
	FuwweL;FuwwLu	yFuwweL,yFuwwLu	xuwwef/yxuwwef"frighten"	Fuwwit, Fuwwa	yFuwwi	luwwa/yluwwi"twist"
	FiyyeL;FiyyLu	yFiyyeL,yFiyyLu	biyyen/ybiyyen"indicate"	Fiyyit, Fiyya	yFiyyi	qiyya/yqiyyi"make vomit"
III	FaMeL;FaMLu	yFaMeL,yFaMLu	sˤaferˤ/ysˤaferˤ"travel"	FaMit, FaMa	yFaMi	qadˤa/yqadˤi"finish (trans.)",sawa/ysawi"make level"	(same as strong)			FaMeMt/FaMMit, FaM(e)M,FaMMu	yFaM(e)M,yFaMMu	sˤaf(e)f/ysˤaf(e)f"line up (trans.)"
Ia(VIIt)	tteFMeL;ttFeMLu	ytteFMeL,yttFeMLu	ttekteb/yttekteb"be written"	tteFMit, tteFMa	ytteFMa	tterˤma/ytterˤma"be thrown",ttensa/yttensa"be forgotten"	ttFaLit/ttFeLt/ttFaLt, ttFaL	yttFaL	ttbaʕ/yttbaʕ"be sold"	ttFeMMit, ttFeMM	yttFeMM	ttʃedd/yttʃedd"be closed"
		ytteFMoL,yttFeMLu	ddxel/yddxol"be entered"								yttFoMM	ttfekk/yttfokk"get loose"
IIa(V)	tFeMMeL;tFeMMLu	ytFeMMeL,ytFeMMLu	tbeddel/ytbeddel"change (intrans.)"	tFeMMit, tFeMMa	ytFeMMa	twerra/ytwerra"be shown"	(same as strong)
	tFuwweL;tFuwwLu	ytFuwweL,ytFuwwLu	txuwwef/ytxuwwef"be frightened"	tFuwwit, tFuwwa	ytFuwwa	tluwwa/ytluwwa"twist (intrans.)"
	tFiyyeL;tFiyyLu	ytFiyyeL,ytFiyyLu	tbiyyen/ytbiyyen"be indicated"	tFiyyit, tFiyya	ytFiyya	tqiyya/ytqiyya"be made to vomit"
IIIa(VI)	tFaMeL;tFaMLu	ytFaMeL,ytFaMLu	tʕawen/ytʕawen"cooperate"	tFaMit, tFaMa	ytFaMa	tqadˤa/ytqadˤa"finish (intrans.)",tħama/ytħama"join forces"	(same as strong)			tFaMeMt/tFaMMit, tFaM(e)M,tFaMMu	ytFaM(e)M,ytFaMMu	tsˤaf(e)f/ytsˤaf(e)f"get in line",twad(e)d/ytwad(e)d"give gifts to one another"
VIII	FtaMeL;FtaMLu	yFtaMeL,yFtaMLu	ħtarˤem/ħtarˤem"respect",xtarˤeʕ/xtarˤeʕ"invent"	FtaMit, FtaMa	yFtaMi	???	FtaLit/FteLt/FtaLt, FtaL	yFtaL	xtarˤ/yxtarˤ"choose",ħtaʒ/yħtaʒ"need"	FteMMit, FteMM	yFteMM	htemm/yhtemm"be interested (in)"
IX	FMaLit/FMeLt/FMaLt, FMaL	yFMaL	ħmarˤ/yħmarˤ"be red, blush",sman/ysman"be(come) fat"	(same as strong)
X	steFMeL;steFMLu	ysteFMeL,ysteFMLu	steɣrˤeb/ysteɣrˤeb"be surprised"	steFMit, steFMa	ysteFMi	stedʕa/ystedʕi"invite"	(same as strong)			stFeMMit, stFeMM	ystFeMM	stɣell/ystɣell"exploit"
					ysteFMa	stehza/ystehza"ridicule",stăʕfa/ystăʕfa"resign"
Iq	FeSTeL;FeSTLu	yFeSTeL,yFeSTLu	tˤerˤʒem/ytˤerˤʒem"translate",melmel/ymelmel"move (trans.)",hernen/yhernen"speak nasally"	FeSTit, FeSTa	yFeSTi	seqsˤa/yseqsˤi"ask"	(same as strong)
	FiTeL;FiTLu	yFiTeL,yFiTLu	sˤifetˤ/ysˤifetˤ"send",ritel/yritel"pillage"	FiTit, FiTa	yFiTi	tira/ytiri"shoot"
	FuTeL;FuTLu	yFuTeL,yFuTLu	suger/ysuger"insure",suret/ysuret"lock"	FuTit, FuTa	yFuTi	rula/yruli"roll (trans.)"
	FiSTeL;FiSTLu	yFiSTeL,yFiSTLu	birˤʒez???"cause to act bourgeois???",biznes???"cause to deal in drugs"	F...Tit, F...Ta	yF...Ti	blˤana, yblˤani"scheme, plan",fanta/yfanti"dodge, fake",pidˤala/ypidˤali"pedal"
Iqa(IIq)	tFeSTeL;tFeSTLu	ytFeSTeL,ytFeSTLu	tˤtˤerˤʒem/ytˤtˤerˤʒem"be translated",tmelmel/ytmelmel"move (intrans.)"	tFeSTit, tFeSTa	ytFeSTa	tseqsˤa/ytseqsˤa"be asked"	(same as strong)
	tFiTeL;tFiTLu	ytFiTeL,ytFiTLu	tsˤifetˤ/ytsˤifetˤ"be sent",tritel/ytritel"be pillaged"	tFiTit, tFiTa	ytFiTa	ttira/yttiri"be shot"
	tFuTeL;tFuTLu	ytFuTeL,ytFuTLu	tsuger/ytsuger"be insured",tsuret/ytsuret"be locked"	tFuTit, tFuTa	ytFuTa	trula/ytruli"roll (intrans.)"
	tFiSTeL;tFiSTLu	ytFiSTeL,ytFiSTLu	tbirˤʒez"act bourgeois",tbiznes"deal in drugs"	tF...Tit, tF...Ta	ytF...Ta	tblˤana/ytblˤana"be planned",tfanta/ytfanta"be dodged",tpidˤala/ytpidˤala"be pedaled"

Sample Paradigms of Strong Verbs

Regular verb, form I, fʕel/yfʕel

Example:kteb/ykteb"write"

Tense/Mood		Past		Present Subjunctive		Present Indicative		Future		Imperative
Person		Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
1st		kteb-t	kteb-na	ne-kteb	n-ketb-u	ka-ne-kteb	ka-n-ketb-u	ɣa-ne-kteb	ɣa-n-ketb-u
2nd	masculine	kteb-ti	kteb-tiw	te-kteb	t-ketb-u	ka-te-kteb	ka-t-ketb-u	ɣa-te-kteb	ɣa-t-ketb-u	kteb	ketb-u
	feminine			t-ketb-i		ka-t-ketb-i		ɣa-t-ketb-i		ketb-i
3rd	masculine	kteb	ketb-u	y-kteb	y-ketb-u	ka-y-kteb	ka-y-ketb-u	ɣa-y-kteb	ɣa-y-ketb-u
	feminine	ketb-et		te-kteb		ka-te-kteb		ɣa-te-kteb

Some comments:

• Boldface, here and elsewhere in paradigms, indicate unexpected deviations from some previously established pattern.
• The present indicative is formed from the subjunctive by the addition of /ka-/. Similarly, the future is formed from the subjunctive by the addition of /ɣa-/.
• The imperative is also formed from the second-person subjunctive, this by theremovalof any prefix /t-/, /te-/, or /d-/.
• The stem /kteb/ changes to /ketb-/ before a vowel.
• Prefixes /ne-/ and /te-/ keep the vowel before two consonants but drop it before one consonant; hence singular /ne-kteb/ changes to plural /n-ketb-u/.

Example:kteb/ykteb"write": non-finite forms

Number/Gender	Active Participle	Passive Participle	Verbal Noun
Masc. Sg.	kateb	mektub	ketaba
Fem. Sg.	katb-a	mektub-a
Pl.	katb-in	mektub-in

Regular verb, form I, fʕel/yfʕel, assimilation-triggering consonant

Example: dker/ydker "mention"

Tense/Mood		Past		Present Subjunctive		Present Indicative		Future		Imperative
Person		Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
1st		dker-t	dker-na	n-dker	n-dekr-u	ka-n-dker	ka-n-dekr-u	ɣa-n-dker	ɣa-n-dekr-u
2nd	masculine	dker-ti	dker-tiw	d-dker	d-dekr-u	ka-d-dker	ka-d-dekr-u	ɣa-d-dker	ɣa-d-dekr-u	dker	dekr-u
	feminine			d-dekr-i		ka-d-dekr-i		ɣa-d-dekr-i		dekr-i
3rd	masculine	dker	dekr-u	y-dker	y-dekr-u	ka-y-dker	ka-y-dekr-u	ɣa-y-dker	ɣa-y-dekr-u
	feminine	dekr-et		d-dker		ka-d-dker		ɣa-d-dker

This paradigm differs fromkteb/yktebin the following ways:

• /ne-/ is always reduced to /n-/.
• /te-/ is always reduced to /t-/, and then all /t-/ are assimilated to /d-/.

Reduction and assimilation occur as follows:

• Before a coronal stop /t/, /tˤ/, /d/ or /dˤ/, /ne-/ and /te-/ are always reduced to /n-/ and /t-/.
• Before a coronal fricative /s/, /sˤ/, /z/, /zˤ/, /ʃ/ or /ʒ/, /ne-/ and /te-/ areoptionallyreduced to /n-/ and /t-/. The reduction usually happens in normal and fast speech but not in slow speech.
• Before a voiced coronal /d/, /dˤ/, /z/, /zˤ/, or /ʒ/, /t-/ is assimilated to /d-/.

Examples:

• Required reduction /n-them/ "I accuse", /t-them/ "youaccuse ".
• Optional reduction /n-skon/ or /ne-skon/ "I reside", /te-skon/ or /t-skon/ "youreside ".
• Optional reduction/assimilation /te-ʒberˤ/ or /d-ʒberˤ/ "youfind ".

Regular verb, form I, fʕel/yfʕol

Example:xrˤeʒ/yxrˤoʒ"go out"

Tense/Mood		Past		Present Subjunctive		Present Indicative		Future		Imperative
Person		Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
1st		xrˤeʒ-t	xrˤeʒ-na	ne-xrˤoʒ	n-xerˤʒ-u	ka-ne-xrˤoʒ	ka-n-xerˤʒ-u	ɣa-ne-xrˤoʒ	ɣa-n-xerˤʒ-u
2nd	masculine	xrˤeʒ-ti	xrˤeʒ-tiw	te-xrˤoʒ	t-xerˤʒ-u	ka-te-xrˤoʒ	ka-t-xerˤʒ-u	ɣa-te-xrˤoʒ	ɣa-t-xerˤʒ-u	xrˤoʒ	xerˤʒ-u
	feminine			t-xerˤʒ-i		ka-t-xerˤʒ-i		ɣa-t-xerˤʒ-i		xerˤʒ-i
3rd	masculine	xrˤeʒ	xerˤʒ-u	y-xrˤoʒ	y-xerˤʒ-u	ka-y-xrˤoʒ	ka-y-xerˤʒ-u	ɣa-y-xrˤoʒ	ɣa-y-xerˤʒ-u
	feminine	xerˤʒ-et		te-xrˤoʒ		ka-te-xrˤoʒ		ɣa-te-xrˤoʒ

Regular verb, form II, feʕʕel/yfeʕʕel

Example:beddel/ybeddel"change"

Tense/Mood		Past		Present Subjunctive		Present Indicative		Future		Imperative
Person		Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
1st		beddel-t	beddel-na	n-beddel	n-beddl-u	ka-n-beddel	ka-n-beddl-u	ɣa-n-beddel	ɣa-n-beddl-u
2nd	masculine	beddel-ti	beddel-tiw	t-beddel	t-beddl-u	ka-t-beddel	ka-t-beddl-u	ɣa-t-beddel	ɣa-t-beddl-u	beddel	beddl-u
	feminine			t-beddl-i		ka-t-beddl-i		ɣa-t-beddl-i		beddl-i
3rd	masculine	beddel	beddl-u	y-beddel	y-beddl-u	ka-y-beddel	ka-y-beddl-u	ɣa-y-beddel	ɣa-y-beddl-u
	feminine	beddl-et		t-beddel		ka-t-beddel		ɣa-t-beddel

Boldfaced forms indicate the primary differences from the corresponding forms ofkteb,which apply to many classes of verbs in addition to form II strong:

• The prefixes /t-/, /n-/ always appear without any stem vowel. This behavior is seen in all classes where the stem begins with a single consonant (which includes most classes).
• The /e/ in the final vowel of the stem is elided when a vowel-initial suffix is added. This behavior is seen in all classes where the stem ends in /-VCeC/ or/-VCCeC/ (where /V/ stands for any vowel and /C/ for any consonant). In addition to form II strong, this includes form III strong, form III Due to the regular operation of the stress rules, the stress in the past tense formsbeddel-etandbeddel-udiffers fromdexl-etanddexl-u.

Regular verb, form III, faʕel/yfaʕel

Example:sˤaferˤ/ysˤaferˤ"travel"

Tense/Mood		Past		Present Subjunctive		Present Indicative		Future		Imperative
Person		Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
1st		sˤaferˤ-t	sˤaferˤ-na	n-sˤaferˤ	n-sˤafrˤ-u	ka-n-sˤaferˤ	ka-n-sˤafrˤ-u	ɣa-n-sˤaferˤ	ɣa-n-sˤafrˤ-u
2nd	masculine	sˤaferˤ-t	sˤaferˤ-tiw	t-sˤaferˤ	t-sˤafrˤ-u	ka-t-sˤaferˤ	ka-t-sˤafrˤ-u	ɣa-t-sˤaferˤ	ɣa-t-sˤafrˤ-u	sˤaferˤ	sˤafrˤ-u
	feminine			t-sˤafrˤ-i		ka-t-sˤafrˤ-i		ɣa-t-sˤafrˤ-i		sˤafrˤ-i
3rd	masculine	sˤaferˤ	sˤafrˤ-u	y-sˤaferˤ	y-sˤafrˤ-u	ka-y-sˤaferˤ	ka-y-sˤafrˤ-u	ɣa-y-sˤaferˤ	ɣa-y-sˤafrˤ-u
	feminine	sˤafrˤ-et		t-sˤaferˤ		ka-t-sˤaferˤ		ɣa-t-sˤaferˤ

The primary differences from the corresponding forms ofbeddel(shown in boldface) are:

• The long vowel /a/ becomes /a/ when unstressed.
• The /i/ in the stem /safir/ is elided when a suffix beginning with a vowel follows.

Regular verb, form Ia, ttefʕel/yttefʕel

Example:ttexleʕ/yttexleʕ"get scared"

Tense/Mood		Past		Present Subjunctive		Present Indicative		Future		Imperative
Person		Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
1st		ttexleʕ-t	ttexleʕ-na	n-ttexleʕ	n-ttxelʕ-u	ka-n-ttexleʕ	ka-n-ttxelʕ-u	ɣa-n-ttexleʕ	ɣa-n-ttxelʕ-u
2nd	masculine	ttexleʕ-ti	ttexleʕ-tiw	(te-)ttexleʕ	(te-)ttxelʕ-u	ka-(te-)ttexleʕ	ka-(te-)ttxelʕ-u	ɣa-(te-)ttexleʕ	ɣa-(te-)ttxelʕ-u	ttexleʕ	ttxelʕ-u
	feminine			(te-)ttxelʕ-i		ka-(te-)ttxelʕ-i		ɣa-(te-)ttxelʕ-i		ttxelʕ-i
3rd	masculine	ttexleʕ	ttxelʕ-u	y-ttexleʕ	y-ttxelʕ-u	ka-y-ttexleʕ	ka-y-ttxelʕ-u	ɣa-y-ttexleʕ	ɣa-y-ttxelʕ-u
	feminine	ttxelʕ-et		(te-)ttexleʕ		ka-(te-)ttexleʕ		ɣa-(te-)ttexleʕ

Sample Paradigms of Weak Verbs

Weak verbs have a W or Y as the last root consonant.

Weak, form I, fʕa/yfʕa

Example:nsa/ynsa"forget"

Tense/Mood		Past		Present Subjunctive		Present Indicative		Future		Imperative
Person		Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
1st		nsi-t	nsi-na	ne-nsa	ne-nsa-w	ka-ne-nsa	ka-ne-nsa-w	ɣa-ne-nsa	ɣa-ne-nsa-w
2nd	masculine	nsi-ti	nsi-tiw	te-nsa	te-nsa-w	ka-te-nsa	ka-te-nsa-w	ɣa-te-nsa	ɣa-te-nsa-w	nsa	nsa-w
	feminine			te-nsa-y		ka-te-nsa-y		ɣa-te-nsa-y		nsa-y
3rd	masculine	nsa	nsa-w	y-nsa	y-nsa-w	ka-y-nsa	ka-y-nsa-w	ɣa-y-nsa	ɣa-y-nsa-w
	feminine	nsa-t		te-nsa		ka-te-nsa		ɣa-te-nsa

The primary differences from the corresponding forms ofkteb(shown in ) are:

• There is no movement of the sort occurring inktebvs.ketb-.
• Instead, in the past, there are two stems:nsi-in the first and second persons andnsa-in the third person. In the non-past, there is a single stemnsa.
• Because the stems end in a vowel, normally vocalic suffixes assume consonantal form:
  • Plural-ubecomes-w.
  • Feminine singular non-past-ibecomes-y.
  • Feminine singular third-person past-etbecomes-t.

Weak verb, form I, fʕa/yfʕi

Example:rˤma/yrˤmi"throw"

Tense/Mood		Past		Present Subjunctive		Present Indicative		Future		Imperative
Person		Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
1st		rˤmi-t	rˤmi-na	ne-rˤmi	ne-rˤmi-w	ka-ne-rˤmi	ka-ne-rˤmi-w	ɣa-ne-rˤmi	ɣa-ne-rˤmi-w
2nd	masculine	rˤmi-ti	rˤmi-tiw	te-rˤmi	te-rˤmi-w	ka-te-rˤmi	ka-te-rˤmi-w	ɣa-te-rˤmi	ɣa-te-rˤmi-w	rˤmi	rˤmi-w
	feminine
3rd	masculine	rˤma	rˤma-w	y-rˤmi	y-rˤmi-w	ka-y-rˤmi	ka-y-rˤmi-w	ɣa-y-rˤmi	ɣa-y-rˤmi-w
	feminine	rˤma-t		te-rˤmi		ka-te-rˤmi		ɣa-te-rˤmi

This verb type is quite similar to the weak verb typensa/ynsa.The primary differences are:

• The non-past stem has /i/ instead of /a/. The occurrence of one vowel or the other varies from stem to stem in an unpredictable fashion.
• -iyin the feminine singular non-past is simplified to-i,resulting in homonymy between masculine and feminine singular.

Verbs other than form I behave as follows in the non-past:

• Form X has either /a/ or /i/.
• Mediopassive verb forms—i.e. Ia(VIIt), IIa(V), IIIa(VI) and Iqa(IIq) – have /a/.
• Other forms—i.e. II, III and Iq—have /i/.

Examples:

• Form II:wedda/yweddi"fulfill";qewwa/yqewwi"strengthen"
• Form III:qadˤa/yqadˤi"finish";dawa/ydawi"treat, cure"
• Form Ia(VIIt):ttensa/yttensa"be forgotten"
• Form IIa(V):tqewwa/ytqewwa"become strong"
• Form IIIa(VI):tqadˤa/ytqadˤa"end (intrans.)"
• Form VIII: (no examples?)
• Form IX: (behaves as a strong verb)
• Form X:stedʕa/ystedʕi"invite"; butstehza/ystehza"ridicule",steħla/ysteħla"enjoy",steħya/ysteħya"become embarrassed",stăʕfa/ystăʕfa"resign"
• Form Iq: (need example)
• Form Iqa(IIq): (need example)

Sample Paradigms of Hollow Verbs

Hollow have a W or Y as the middle root consonant. Note that for some forms (e.g. form II and form III), hollow verbs are conjugated as strong verbs (e.g. form IIʕeyyen/yʕeyyen"appoint" from ʕ-Y-N, form IIIʒaweb/yʒaweb"answer" from ʒ-W-B).

Hollow verb, form I, fal/yfil

Example:baʕ/ybiʕ"sell"

Tense/Mood		Past		Present Subjunctive		Present Indicative		Future		Imperative
Person		Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
1st		beʕ-t	beʕ-na	n-biʕ	n-biʕ-u	ka-n-biʕ	ka-n-biʕ-u	ɣa-n-biʕ	ɣa-n-biʕ-u
2nd	masculine	beʕ-ti	beʕ-tiw	t-biʕ	t-biʕ-u	ka-t-biʕ	ka-t-biʕ-u	ɣa-t-biʕ	ɣa-t-biʕ-u	biʕ	biʕ-u
	feminine			t-biʕ-i		ka-t-biʕ-i		ɣa-t-biʕ-i		biʕ-i
3rd	masculine	baʕ	baʕ-u	y-biʕ	y-biʕ-u	ka-y-biʕ	ka-y-biʕ-u	ɣa-y-biʕ	ɣa-y-biʕ-u
	feminine	baʕ-et		t-biʕ		ka-t-biʕ		ɣa-t-biʕ

This verb works much likebeddel/ybeddel"teach". Like all verbs whose stem begins with a single consonant, the prefixes differ in the following way from those of regular and weak form I verbs:

• The prefixes /t-/, /j-/, /ni-/ have elision of /i/ following /ka-/ or /ɣa-/.
• The imperative prefix /i-/ is missing.

In addition, the past tense has two stems:beʕ-before consonant-initial suffixes (first and second person) andbaʕ-elsewhere (third person).

Hollow verb, form I, fal/yful

Example:ʃaf/yʃuf"see"

Tense/Mood		Past		Present Subjunctive		Present Indicative		Future		Imperative
Person		Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
1st		ʃef-t	ʃef-na	n-ʃuf	n-ʃuf-u	ka-n-ʃuf	ka-n-ʃuf-u	ɣa-n-ʃuf	ɣa-n-ʃuf-u
2nd	masculine	ʃef-ti	ʃef-tiw	t-ʃuf	t-ʃuf-u	ka-t-ʃuf	ka-t-ʃuf-u	ɣa-t-ʃuf	ɣa-t-ʃuf-u	ʃuf	ʃuf-u
	feminine			t-ʃuf-i		ka-t-ʃuf-i		ɣa-t-ʃuf-i		ʃuf-i
3rd	masculine	ʃaf	ʃaf-u	y-ʃuf	y-ʃuf-u	ka-y-ʃuf	ka-y-ʃuf-u	ɣa-y-ʃuf	ɣa-y-ʃuf-u
	feminine	ʃaf-et		t-ʃuf		ka-t-ʃuf		ɣa-t-ʃuf

This verb class is identical to verbs such asbaʕ/ybiʕexcept in having stem vowel /u/ in place of /i/.

Sample Paradigms of Doubled Verbs

Doubled verbs have the same consonant as middle and last root consonant, e.g.ɣabb/yiħebb"love" from Ħ-B-B.

Doubled verb, form I, feʕʕ/yfeʕʕ

Example:ħebb/yħebb"love"

Tense/Mood		Past		Present Subjunctive		Present Indicative		Future		Imperative
Person		Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
1st		ħebbi-t	ħebbi-na	n-ħebb	n-ħebb-u	ka-n-ħebb	ka-n-ħebb-u	ɣa-n-ħebb	ɣa-n-ħebb-u
2nd	masculine	ħebbi-ti	ħebbi-tiw	t-ħebb	t-ħebb-u	ka-t-ħebb	ka-t-ħebb-u	ɣa-t-ħebb	ɣa-t-ħebb-u	ħebb	ħebb-u
	feminine			t-ħebb-i		ka-t-ħebb-i		ɣa-t-ħebb-i		ħebb-i
3rd	masculine	ħebb	ħebb-u	y-ħebb	y-ħebb-u	ka-y-ħebb	ka-y-ħebb-u	ɣa-y-ħebb	ɣa-y-ħebb-u
	feminine	ħebb-et		t-ħebb		ka-t-ħebb		ɣa-t-ħebb

This verb works much likebaʕ/ybiʕ"sell". Like that class, it has two stems in the past, which areħebbi-before consonant-initial suffixes (first and second person) andħebb-elsewhere (third person). Note that /i-/ was borrowed from the weak verbs; the Classical Arabic equivalent form would be *ħabáb-,e.g. *ħabáb-t.

Some verbs have /o/ in the stem:koħħ/ykoħħ"cough".

As for the other forms:

• Form II, V doubled verbs are strong:ɣedded/yɣedded"limit, fix (appointment)"
• Form III, VI doubled verbs optionally behave either as strong verbs or similar toħebb/yħebb:sˤafef/ysˤafeforsˤaff/ysˤaff"line up (trans.)"
• Form VIIt doubled verbs behave likeħebb/yħebb:ttʕedd/yttʕedd
• Form VIII doubled verbs behave likeħebb/yħebb:htemm/yhtemm"be interested (in)"
• Form IX doubled verbs probably don't exist, and would be strong if they did exist.
• Form X verbs behave likeħebb/yħebb:stɣell/ystɣell"exploit".

Sample Paradigms of Doubly Weak Verbs

"Doubly weak" verbs have more than one "weakness", typically a W or Y as both the second and third consonants. In Moroccan Arabic such verbs generally behave as normal weak verbs (e.g.ħya/yħya"live" from Ħ-Y-Y,quwwa/yquwwi"strengthen" from Q-W-Y,dawa/ydawi"treat, cure" from D-W-Y). This is not always the case in standard Arabic (cf.walā/yalī"follow" from W-L-Y).

Paradigms of Irregular Verbs

The irregular verbs are as follows:

• dda/yddi"give" (inflects like a normal weak verb; active participleddayormeddi,passive participlemeddi)
• ʒa/yʒi"come" (inflects like a normal weak verb, except imperativeaʒi(sg.),aʒiw(pl.); active participlemaʒiorʒay)
• kla/yakol(orkal/yakol) "eat" andxda/yaxod(orxad/yaxod) "take" (see paradigm below; active participlewakel, waxed;passive participlemuwkul, muwxud):

Tense/Mood		Past		Present Subjunctive		Present Indicative		Future		Imperative
Person		Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
1st		kli-t	kli-na	na-kol	na-kl-u	ka-na-kol	ka-na-kl-u	ɣa-na-kol	ɣa-na-kl-u
2nd	masculine	kli-ti	kli-tiw	ta-kol	ta-kl-u	ka-ta-kol	ka-ta-kl-u	ɣa-ta-kol	ɣa-ta-kl-u	kul	kul-u
	feminine			ta-kl-i		ka-ta-kl-i		ɣa-ta-kl-i		kul-i
3rd	masculine	kla	kla-w	ya-kol	ya-kl-u	ka-ya-kol	ka-ya-kl-u	ɣa-ya-kol	ɣa-ya-kl-u
	feminine	kla-t		ta-kol		ka-ta-kol		ɣa-ta-kol

Social features

An interview withSalma Rachid,a Moroccan singer while she speaks Moroccan Arabic.

Evolution

In general, Moroccan Arabic is one of the least conservative of all Arabic languages. Now, Moroccan Arabic continues to integrate new French words, even English ones due to its influence as the modernlingua franca,mainlytechnologicaland modern words. However, in recent years, constant exposure toModern Standard Arabicon television and in print media and a certain desire among many Moroccans for a revitalization of anArab identityhas inspired many Moroccans to integrate words from Modern Standard Arabic, replacing theirFrench,Spanishor otherwise non-Arabiccounterparts, or even speaking in Modern Standard Arabic while keeping the Moroccanaccentto sound less formal

Though rarely written, Moroccan Arabic is currently undergoing an unexpected and pragmatic revival. It is now the preferred language in Moroccan chat rooms or for sendingSMS,usingArabic Chat Alphabetcomposed of Latin letters supplemented with the numbers2,3,5,7and9for coding specific Arabic sounds, as is the case with other Arabic speakers.

The language continues to evolve quickly as can be noted by consulting the Colin dictionary. Many words and idiomatic expressions recorded between 1921 and 1977 are now obsolete.

Code-switching

Some Moroccan Arabic speakers, in the parts of the countryformerly ruled by France,practicecode-switchingwithFrench.In parts of northern Morocco, such as inTetouanandTangier,it is common for code-switching to occur between Moroccan Arabic,Modern Standard Arabic,andSpanish,asSpainhadpreviously controlled part of the regionand continues to possess the territories ofCeutaandMelillain North Africa bordering only Morocco. On the other hand, someArab nationalistMoroccans generally attempt to avoid French and Spanish in their speech; consequently, their speech tends to resemble oldAndalusian Arabic.

Literature

Although mostMoroccan literaturehas traditionally been written in the classical Standard Arabic, the first record of a work of literature composed in Moroccan Arabic wasAl-Kafif az-Zarhuni'sal-Mala'ba,written in theMarinidperiod.

There exists some poetry written in Moroccan Arabic like theMalhun.In the troubled and autocratic Morocco of the 1970s,Years of Lead,theNass El Ghiwaneband wrote lyrics in Moroccan Arabic that were very appealing to the youth even in otherMaghrebcountries.

Another interesting movement is the development of an originalrap musicscene, which explores new and innovative usages of the language.

Zajal,or improvised poetry, is mostly written in Moroccan Darija, and there have been at least dozens of Moroccan Darija poetry collections and anthologies published by Moroccan poets, such asAhmed LemsyehandDriss Amghar Mesnaoui.The later additionally wrote a novel trilogy in Moroccan Darija, a unique creation in this language, with the titlesتاعروروت"Ta'arurut",عكاز الريح(the Wind's Crutch), andسعد البلدة(The Town's Luck).

Scientific production

The first known scientific productions written in Moroccan Arabic were released on the Web in early 2010 by Moroccan teacher and physicist Farouk Taki El Merrakchi, three average-sized books dealing with physics and mathematics.

Newspapers

There have been at least threenewspapersin Moroccan Arabic; their aim was to bring information to people with a low level ofeducation,or those simply interested in promoting the use of Moroccan Darija. From September 2006 to October 2010,TelquelMagazine had a Moroccan Arabic editionNichane.From 2002 to 2006 there was also a free weekly newspaper that was entirely written in "standard" Moroccan Arabic:Khbar Bladna('News of Our Country'). InSalé,the regional newspaper Al Amal, directed byLatifa Akherbach,started in 2005.

The Moroccan online newspaperGoudor "ݣود" has much of its content written in Moroccan Arabic rather than Modern Standard Arabic. Its name "Goud" and its slogan "dima nishan" (ديما نيشان) are Moroccan Arabic expressions that mean almost the same thing "straightforward".

See also

• Varieties of Arabic
• Dialect continuum
• Maghrebi Arabic
• Algerian Arabic
• Tunisian Arabic
• Libyan Arabic
• Fessi dialect
• Tetuani

Bibliography

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• Abderrahim Youssi. ‘La triglossie dans la typologie linguistique’, inLa Linguistique,no. 19, 1983, pp. 71–83.
• Abderrahim Youssi.Grammaire et lexique de l'arabe marocain moderne.Casablanca: Wallada, 1992.
• Annamaria Ventura & Olivier Durand.Grammatica di arabo marocchino: Lingua dārija.Milan: Hoepli, 2022.

External links

• Friends of Morocco
• Mazyan Bizaf Show
• Moroccan Arabic Guide
• Moroccan Arabic Swadesh List