Darija for everyday situations
Darija phrases for visiting Moroccan family
Speak Darija with in-laws and Moroccan relatives: greetings for family, arriving with a gift, compliments at the table, refusing more food kindly and saying goodbye, with masculine and feminine forms.
Short answer
When you visit Moroccan family, greet everyone, starting with the eldest: salamu 3alaykum, labas 3likom? (peace be upon you, how are you all?). Thank the hosts with l-lah ybarek fik (God bless you), praise the meal with bnin bzzaf, tbarkallah 3likom, and after eating say l-lah ykhlef. Many phrases change for a man, a woman or a group; this guide shows each form.
Short dialogue: arriving at the family home
Forms marked m / f are for speaking to a man or a woman; plural forms are for a group.
| Speaker | Darija | English |
|---|---|---|
| Host | Mrehba bik! Dkhol / dkhli.مرحبا بيك! دخل / دخلي. | Welcome! Come in (m / f). |
| You | L-lah ybarek fik. Labas 3likom?الله يبارك فيك. لاباس عليكم؟ | God bless you. How are you all? |
| Host | Labas, l-7amdu lillah. Kidayr / kidayra?لاباس، الحمد لله. كيداير / كيدايرة؟ | Fine, thank God. How are you (m / f)? |
| You | Bikhir, l-7amdu lillah. Jbt likom shi 7aja sghira.بخير، الحمد لله. جبت ليكم شي حاجة صغيرة. | Well, thank God. I brought you a little something. |
| Host | Kul / kuli, ma t7shemsh / ma t7shmish!كول / كولي، ما تحشمش / ما تحشميش! | Eat (m / f), don’t be shy! |
| You | Bnin bzzaf, tbarkallah 3likom.بنين بزاف، تبارك الله عليكم. | It’s delicious — bless you all. |
| You | Safi, shb3t, l-7amdu lillah. L-lah ykhlef.صافي، شبعت، الحمد لله. الله يخلف. | I’m full, thank God. Thank you for the meal. |
Key family 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 |
|---|---|
| Family | l-3a2ila / l-familia — العائلة / الفاميلا |
| Mother / father (respectful) | l-walida / l-walid — الواليدة / الواليد |
| Paternal uncle / aunt | 3ammi / 3ammti — عمي / عمتي |
| Maternal uncle / aunt | khali / khalti — خالي / خالتي |
| Congratulations (reply: l-lah ybarek fik) | mbrouk — مبروك |
| Bless them (praising a child or something new) | tbarkallah — تبارك الله |
| We’ll see you again soon, God willing | nshufukom 3la khir, inshallah — نشوفكم على خير، إن شاء الله |
| Goodbye | bslama — بسلامة |
Pronunciation notes
- Labas 3likom flows as one phrase: “la-BAS 3li-KOM”, with a light ع at the start of 3likom.
- In l-7amdu lillah the 7 is breathy and soft; many speakers shorten it to “l-7amdullah”.
- Ma t7shemsh (don’t be shy) uses the ma … sh negative around the verb; to a woman it becomes ma t7shmish.
- Tbarkallah is said quickly as one word: “t-bar-ka-LLAH”.
Warm, respectful family manners
Greet each person, usually beginning with older relatives, and take time over the greeting questions — about health, work and family — before anything else. Hosts often insist that you eat more; you can accept, or decline warmly with shb3t, l-7amdu lillah. Bringing something small, such as pastries or fruit, is a common gesture.
Greeting customs vary between families: some relatives kiss on the cheeks, others shake hands, and some people prefer not to shake hands with the opposite sex. Follow the lead of the person greeting you. Families also mix languages; you may hear French or Amazigh alongside Darija.
Your next step
For longer-term family conversation, see Darija for partners and family; for a first visit, practise this script 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.
Start learning with a teacher
Related guides
- Darija for partners and families connected to Morocco
- Polite expressions in Moroccan Darija: how to sound respectful
- Common Moroccan Arabic greetings
See also Modern Standard Arabic lessons, Moroccan Arabic lessons, group Darija classes and pricing.
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