Darija for everyday situations

Moroccan Darija at markets and shops: shopping and bargaining

Darija shopping phrases and Moroccan Arabic market conversation: asking prices, numbers, polite bargaining in the souk, buying by the kilo and leaving politely, with a short dialogue.

Short answer

In Moroccan markets, ask bsh7al hadi? (how much is this?), react politely with ghalya 3liya shwiya (it’s a bit expensive for me), and ask nqes shwiya, 3afak (lower it a little, please). Close with safi, wakha (okay, deal) — or leave politely with ghadi ndour w nrje3 (I’ll look around and come back). Bargaining is normal in souks but not in supermarkets or fixed-price shops.

Short dialogue: buying a bag in the souk

You like a leather bag and agree a price respectfully.

Speaker	Darija	English
You	Salamu 3alaykum. Bsh7al hadi?السلام عليكم. بشحال هادي؟	Hello. How much is this one?
Seller	Mitayn dirham.ميتين درهم.	Two hundred dirhams.
You	Ghalya 3liya shwiya. Nqes shwiya, 3afak.غالية عليا شوية. نقص شوية عفاك.	It’s a bit expensive for me. Lower it a little, please.
Seller	Ila bghitiha, mya w khamsin.إلا بغيتيها، مية وخمسين.	If you want it, one hundred and fifty.
You	Mya w 3eshrin?مية وعشرين؟	One hundred and twenty?
Seller	Safi, wakha.صافي، واخا.	Fine, okay.
You	Shukran, l-lah y3tik s-se77a.شكرا، الله يعطيك الصحة.	Thank you, God give you health.

Key shopping vocabulary

Darija has no single official Latin spelling. Here, 3 stands for ع (a tight sound from the throat), 7 for ح (a breathy h), gh for غ (like a French r), kh for خ (like Scottish loch) and q for ق (a k pronounced further back). Pronunciation varies by city and speaker.

English	Darija
I’m just looking	ghir kanshuf — غير كانشوف
Do you have another colour?	wash 3endek shi lon akhor? — واش عندك شي لون آخر؟
Bigger / smaller	kbir shwiya / sghir shwiya — كبير شوية / صغير شوية
Half a kilo of tomatoes	nus kilo d l-maticha — نص كيلو د المطيشة
Final price?	akhir taman? — آخر ثمن؟
In dirhams?	b d-dirham? — بالدرهم؟
I’ll look around and come back	ghadi ndour w nrje3 — غادي ندور ونرجع
Okay, deal	safi, wakha — صافي، واخا

Numbers you will hear

Prices go fast, so numbers are the most useful thing to practise before shopping.

Number	Darija
10	3ashra — عشرة
20	3eshrin — عشرين
50	khamsin — خمسين
100	mya — مية
150	mya w khamsin — مية وخمسين
200	mitayn — ميتين

Pronunciation notes

Nqes (lower it) has no vowel between n and q: “nqess”, with a back-of-the-throat q.
Ghalya (expensive, for a feminine noun) starts with gh like a French r; for a masculine item say ghali.
Mitayn (200) is the dual form of mya (100): “mee-TAYN”.

Respectful bargaining

Bargaining is expected in many souks and with some street sellers, but prices are fixed in supermarkets, pharmacies and most shops. Smile, greet first, make a reasonable offer and accept a polite no. Walking away with ghadi ndour w nrje3 is courteous, not rude.

In some traditional markets older speakers count in ryal, an old unit in which twenty ryal make one dirham. If a number sounds surprisingly large, ask b d-dirham? (in dirhams?).

Your next step

Practise numbers and a full bargaining role-play with a teacher. Lisanova Academy teaches Moroccan Darija online from Morocco, in private 60-minute video lessons with Moroccan teachers who can role-play this situation with you and correct your pronunciation live. The first trial lesson is free; one private hour is $20, and private packages are 8 hours $120, 12 hours $170 and 16 hours $200. Darija group classes are 2 one-hour classes per week, maximum 4 learners, $50 per month.

Lessons can be explained in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese or Arabic, depending on the teacher; not every teacher speaks every one of these languages.

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