Short answer: Darija uses hundreds of French words, mostly for modern things: t-tomobil (car, from automobile), t-tobis (bus, from autobus), l-frigo (fridge), t-tilifoun (phone) and l-baliza (suitcase, from valise). Moroccans don't just borrow them: they change the sounds, add the Darija article l- and use them inside Darija grammar, so t-tomobil dyali means "my car".

If you speak some French, this is good news: you already recognise part of the vocabulary. The trick is to say these words the Moroccan way, not the French way. Below: the most useful words by theme, the sound changes that explain them, how they work in a sentence, and a few "European-sounding" words that are not French at all.

Why Darija has so many French words

Moroccan Arabic has borrowed from several languages, French above all. The linguist Mjid El Garni (Ibn Tofail University) links this to the historical ties between Morocco and France and to technological change, and he notes that speakers of every education level use these borrowings daily. His study draws on fields such as car mechanics, electricity, building and clothing, which is exactly where you will hear French words in Morocco: in garages, workshops, shops and offices.

That is also why many French words in Darija name things that arrived in the 20th century (cars, buses, phones, fridges), while older everyday words (bread, water, house, family) stay Arabic.

Everyday French words in Darija

Getting around

Darija From French English
t-tomobil automobile car
t-tobis autobus bus
t-tran train train
l-gar la gare train station
ch-chifour chauffeur driver
l-baliza valise suitcase

In a petit taxi you will also hear l-compteur (the meter); the phrases for the ride are in our guide to taking a petit taxi in Morocco.

At home and in daily life

Darija From French English
l-frigo frigo fridge
t-tilifoun téléphone phone
l-portable portable mobile phone
l-biro bureau office, desk
l-plombi plombier plumber
randevu rendez-vous appointment
l-fakans vacances holidays

Clothes

Darija From French English
l-fista veste jacket
l-koustim costume suit
l-gravata cravate tie

Small words in conversation

Many Moroccans, especially in cities, drop short French words into Darija without thinking: merci, ça va, d'accord, bon. The most typical mix is merci bezzaf, "thanks a lot": French merci plus Darija bezzaf ("a lot"). You will hear it everywhere, but the Darija chokran is always correct and always welcome.

How French words change in Darija

French words are reshaped to fit Darija pronunciation. Once you know the main patterns, you can recognise new words by ear. These examples come from El Garni's study of French loanwords in Moroccan Arabic:

What happens French Darija
French é and u often become i téléphone, chauffeur tilifoun, chifour
v becomes f or b vacances, veste, valise fakans, fista, baliza
Feminine nouns often gain a final -a valise, veste, vitrine baliza, fista, vitrina
A weak first syllable can disappear autobus tobis

Many of these words are also pronounced "heavy" (with the deep, emphatic quality of Arabic ṭ in tobis and tomobil), which is one reason a French speaker may not recognise t-tobis the first time.

Using French words inside Darija grammar

Borrowed nouns behave like any Darija noun:

  • They take the article l-. Before letters like t and ch, it doubles the first sound, just as with Arabic words: t-tomobil, t-tilifoun, ch-chifour, but l-frigo, l-baliza.
  • They take dyal for "my, your": t-tomobil dyali (my car), l-baliza dyalek (your suitcase).
  • They fit into normal sentences: fin kayn l-gar? (where is the train station?), 3endi randevu daba (I have an appointment now).

Some even become verbs. A very common one is chargi, "to charge" (a phone): khassni n-chargi t-tilifoun ("I need to charge my phone"). Linguists Nabila Louriz (Hassan II University, Casablanca) and Michael Kenstowicz (MIT) have studied how Darija turns French words into verbs, for example kala, "to stall" (an engine), from French caler.

Not French at all: words that fool learners

Not every word that sounds European comes from French.

  • Blassa (a place, a seat) comes from Spanish plaza. You will meet it in our guide to ordering food in Darija.
  • L-kuzina (kitchen) comes from Spanish cocina, and s-simana (week) from Spanish semana.
  • Bnadem (a person, a human being) is not a loanword: it is Arabic, literally "son of Adam".

The same mix of Arabic, Amazigh, French and Spanish is one of the big differences between Darija and the standard Arabic of books and news, as explained in Darija vs Modern Standard Arabic.

A short dialogue

Karim: Salam, labas? Fin ghadi? (Hi, how are you? Where are you going?)

Sara: Labas, l-7amdoulillah. Ghadi l-gar, 3endi t-tran. (Fine, thank God. I'm going to the station, I have a train.)

Karim: Bghiti n-wesslek b t-tomobil? (Do you want me to drive you?)

Sara: La, merci bezzaf. Ghadi n-chedd t-tobis. Walakin khassni n-chargi t-tilifoun 9bel. (No, thanks a lot. I'll take the bus. But I need to charge my phone first.)

Karim: Wakha. Bslama! (OK. Bye!)

Notice how naturally l-gar, t-tran, t-tomobil, t-tobis and merci sit inside Darija grammar: ghadi (going to), 3endi (I have), khassni (I need).

Quick practice

Say each answer out loud before you check it.

  1. How do you say "my car"?
  2. Ask where the train station is.
  3. Say "I need to charge my phone".
  4. Is bnadem a French word?

Answers: 1. t-tomobil dyali. 2. fin kayn l-gar? 3. khassni n-chargi t-tilifoun. 4. No, it is Arabic ("son of Adam", a person).

Your next step

French words give you a head start, but only if you say them the Moroccan way and use them inside Darija sentences. To hear how t-tobis and t-tilifoun really sound, try our free Darija audio lessons. And if you want to build full sentences around this vocabulary from the first lesson, you can learn Moroccan Darija step by step on video.

Keep reading

Sources and further reading