Basic Words and Phrases You Should Know Before Visiting Morocco
By: Nouha Elyazidi / Arab America Contributing Writer
Morocco is a stunning North African country with deep history, rich culture, and thriving tourism. When in Morocco, you will be memorized by stunning architecture, greeted by the welcoming people, and enchanted by everything the country has to offer. When visiting any country, it is important to know simple words and phrases that will make life easier when interacting with people who do not speak English in shops, restaurants, and other places. A great number of Moroccans do, in fact, speak English, but it is still important to be able to communicate with those who do not.
The interesting thing about traveling within the Arab world is the variety of dialects. It is often not recognized how unique each dialect is. Apps such as google translate are programmed in modern standard Arabic, which is classical Arabic and practically no longer spoken in the Arab world. Do not fear, people in the Arab world can still understand modern standard Arabic so translation tools will be helpful, but learning a few words in the dialect of the country you are visiting will be even more effective. So Yalla, let’s begin!
Salam Alakoum (sa-lam al-ay-kum)
Let’s start with the very basics, salam alakoum simply means hello. The direct translation of Salam Alakoum is “may peace be upon you.” This is how people in Morocco greet you and how you should begin conversations.
Labas (la-bas)
This means “what’s up” or “how are you?”. When beginning a conversation, people will say “Salam Alakoum, labas?” which just means “hello, how are you?”
Bghit (ba-gh-eet)
This means “I want.” This is great when you are ordering food or shopping. If you are going out to eat, you could say “bghit el dajaj” which means, “I want chicken.” You don’t need to know the words for the items you want. You could say “bghit” and then point to the item you wanna buy or the item off the menu you want. This will come in handy in souks, especially.
Shukran: (shook-ran)
Shukran means “Thank you.” It is always important to be polite, and shukran simply means thank you.
InshAllah: (inch-Aa-Allah)
This term translates to “God Willing.” This is a term not only used by Moroccans or even Arabs but across the Muslim world because it is a more religious term. This is mainly used when discussing the future. You could say, “Tomorrow we are going to visit the city of Marrakesh” or “I want to come back to Morocco again inshAllah.” It can be used for both the definite or indefinite future.
La/Naam (la/naa-am)
“La” means no and “naam” means yes. These words are very important, and pretty simple words.
Ma Kanhdark Bil Arbiya: (ma kan-hadar-sh bil arbiya)
This means “I don’t speak Arabic”. I know this sentence looks overwhelming but do not stress. Practice the phonetic pronunciation until it becomes natural. This is a phrase you are probably going to need to know, it means “I do not speak Arabic.” This is useful if someone comes up to you and asks you a question in Arabic or begins speaking to you in Arabic, it will let them know you do not understand what they are saying.
Bislama (biss-lama)
This means “bye.” When leaving someone’s home, restaurant, or shop, it is polite to kindly thank them for their hospitality and bid them farewell. You could combine this with a previous word we learned, “shukran bislama!” which means “thank you, bye!”
Look at how many new words in Moroccan Arabic you know! This list will come in use, so be sure to get some practice in before your next trip to Morocco!
Shukran for reading and Bislama!
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