Learn Darija in 7 days · Day 1 of 7
Day 1: Say hello
Start with the words you will use every single day in Morocco: the greeting, its reply, how are you and goodbye.
Today’s phrases
Underlined phrases have their own free page with more examples.
| English | Darija | Arabic script | Say it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello (peace be upon you) | salamu 'alaykum | السلام عليكم | sa-LAA-moo a-LAY-koom |
| Reply: and upon you peace | wa 'alaykum s-salam | وعليكم السلام | wa a-LAY-koom s-sa-LAAM |
| Hi | salam | سلام | sa-LAAM |
| Good morning | sbah l-khir | صباح الخير | sbah l-KHEER |
| How are you? (to anyone) | labas? | لاباس؟ | la-BAAS |
| How are you? (m) | kidayr? | كيداير؟ | kee-DAYR |
| How are you? (f) | kidayra? | كيدايرة؟ | kee-DAY-ra |
| Goodbye | bslama | بسلامة | bss-LAA-ma |
Today’s pattern
Talking to a man or a woman
- Some phrases change with the person you talk to. To ask a man how he is, say kidayr?; to ask a woman, say kidayra?.
- Not sure? labas? works for anyone.
- The same word is also the answer: labas means I'm fine.
- The long greeting salamu 'alaykum always gets the same reply: wa 'alaykum s-salam.
Good to know
- Moroccans greet a lot. A warm salam opens every door.
Quick quiz
Say the Darija out loud first, then tap the phrase to check.
How are you? (f)Show the Darija
kidayra?
كيدايرة؟
Say it: kee-DAY-ra
How are you? (m)Show the Darija
kidayr?
كيداير؟
Say it: kee-DAYR
Hello (peace be upon you)Show the Darija
salamu 'alaykum
السلام عليكم
Say it: sa-LAA-moo a-LAY-koom
How are you? (to anyone)Show the Darija
labas?
لاباس؟
Say it: la-BAAS
Good morningShow the Darija
sbah l-khir
صباح الخير
Say it: sbah l-KHEER
HiShow the Darija
salam
سلام
Say it: sa-LAAM
Reply: and upon you peaceShow the Darija
wa 'alaykum s-salam
وعليكم السلام
Say it: wa a-LAY-koom s-sa-LAAM
GoodbyeShow the Darija
bslama
بسلامة
Say it: bss-LAA-ma
Free finder, flashcards or the book?
Free phrase finder
Free, on this site
- 66 searchable phrases
- 20 free phrase pages with examples
- Latin letters, Arabic script and a “say it” guide
Darija Flashcards
$6, printable PDF
- 175 phrases on cards
- US Letter and A4
- Arabic script and the pronunciation guide on every card
Darija Pocket Phrasebook
$9.99, paperback on Amazon
- 305 phrases in 26 topics
- 6 real-life dialogues
- 131-word mini-dictionary
- Pronunciation guide, 5 x 8 in. pocket size
Take the phrases with you: the printable flashcards help you review, and the pocket phrasebook has every phrase in this course plus the six conversations.
Every phrase in this course comes from the word list of our Darija Pocket Phrasebook, which was checked in two separate passes: one for meaning, one for spelling.
How to read this page: in the "say it" guide, CAPITALS = stressed syllable. In the Darija spelling, ' = ع (a tight throat sound; just pause if you can't). Arabic script: spelling varies; this is common usage. (m) means said to a man, (f) means said to a woman.