Essential Moroccan Darija Phrases For Travel In 2023

We’ve written before about learning Moroccan Darija, but what if you’re visiting and only want to know a few key phrases for getting around Morocco? We’ve written this handy guide (by a native speaker) on the best Moroccan Darija phrases for your trip around the Maghreb.

Do you need to know Darija phrases to travel to Morocco?

In short, no. Especially if you only plan to stay in major cities like Marrakesh and Casablanca. Usually you can get by in the big cities with only English. If you have a guide as well, the odds of you needing Darija to get around are very low because your guide will be able to translate for you.

However, it’s our opinion that it’s simply good etiquette to learn at least a few helpful phrases when traveling to any country. And I guarantee you, all the Moroccans you meet will go absolutely wild if you can speak to them a few Darija phrases. Moroccans get very excited when outsiders embrace and learn about their culture, and language is a big part of that.

Unfortunately, there is no Google Translate for Moroccan Darija, and as of yet, no Moroccan Darija dictionary. Many Moroccans don’t actually speak Modern Standard Arabic, so things like Google Translate will be surprisingly unhelpful. However, Moroccans are generally incredibly kind and helpful and will usually be patient with you to figure out what you’re trying to say.

Learning Moroccan Darija phrases

Darija is a mixture of Arabic, Amazigh, French, and Spanish and it can be incredibly hard to learn. Particularly for foreigners. This is in part because there are very few resources for non-native speakers. It is also due in part because Arabic consists of an entirely different alphabet.

As you’ll see, many of the Moroccan Arabic phrases have letters in the words that represent sounds that the Latin alphabet simply doesn’t have. This shouldn’t discourage you from learning a few helpful Darija phrases, however, as they’ll feel natural with a little practice.

I’ve lived in Morocco for almost two years, and I still struggle with the language quite a bit. This is in part because people are so accommodating and attempt to speak to me in French or English, even when I try and speak Darija. But I can tell that people appreciate that I put in the effort to use their langauge.

Travel expressions in Moroccan Arabic (Darija)

Whether you want to learn how to say hello in Moroccan Arabic or have a little bit more deep of a conversation, these helpful Moroccan phrases for tourists will make a big difference when traveling around Morocco.

Basic words and phrases in Darija

English Word/Phrase	Darija Word/Phrase	Pronunciation	Note
Hello!	Salam	sah-lem	The response is “w3likom salam”
How are you?	Labas?	la-bahs
Good, thank God	Al-hamdullah	ham-doo-lah	The customary/polite response to “how are you?”
How much (price)?	mch7al taman?	mm-chall tah-man
Where is the bathroom?	Fin toilet?	feen toy-let
Thank you!	Shokran	show-kran
No	La	Lah
Nice to meet you	Mtcharfin	mm-char-fin
Where is the train station?	Fin ma7ata train?	feen mah-tah train?
Goodbye!	Bslama	bess-llama
Give me	3tini	attain-y
I want…	Bghit…	breet
Store	souk/hanout	sook/han-oot
Friend	sahbi (M)/sahbti (F)	sah-bi / sah-bti
Family	l3aila	lie-ay-la
I want to go…	Bghit nmchi	breet nim-she
What is your name?	Shnoo smitk?	Shnoo smee-tick
Where are you from?	Achman blad sakna (M)/ sakn (F)?	Ach-men bled sack-nah/sack-n
I am American/Canadian	Ana Merikania / Canadiya	Ah-na Merican-ya / Cana-diyah
Airport	l’matar	Mah-tar
Water	lema	le-mah
Beautiful	Zwin (F)/zwina (F)	Zween/zwee-nah
Food	l’mekla	meck-lah

Many words, like menu, hotel, taxi, restaurant, and telephone, are the same. Additionally, Moroccans are amazing with languages, many of them are bilingual, trilingual or more (Anas can speak 5 languages)! If you ask someone in a big city or look up the world in Modern Standard Arabic or French, odds are they will help you find what you’re looking for.

How do you greet in Morocco? Darija phrases in Moroccan Arabic for greeting

In general, a polite handshake is always customary. Moroccan families will often greet each other boisterously, and friends will greet one another warmly.

A friendly, “labas?” will go a long way, as well as “mtcharfin” if you’re meeting someone for the first time.

Women will typically hug and do two cheek kisses, but it’s generally discouraged to hug cross-gender, as this can be quite weird or poorly received. A handshake to the opposite-gendered person is customary, even among relatives.