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Module 4 · Shopping and money

Lesson 31 · Elementary · 4 min · 0:18 of audio

Bchhal? Prices at the market

Asking a price, haggling a little, and buying by the kilo.

  • Unreviewed: this lesson’s Darija and translations have not yet been checked by a native speaker.
  • Placeholder audio: a computer voice, not a native Darija speaker. Real recordings are coming.

Bchhal? Prices at the market

In this lesson

  • Ask the price per kilo
  • Say it’s too expensive and offer a price
  • Pay and understand your change

At the market you ask “bchhal?”, chat a little and buy by the kilo. Even for tomatoes, a bit of haggling is normal.

Dialogue

How to read the transliteration

Darija is written here in Latin letters, the way many Moroccans text. A few symbols stand for sounds English, French and Swedish don't have:

3
a tight sound from the throat (Arabic ع)
7
a breathy h, stronger than English h (ح)
9
a k made deep in the throat (ق)
gh
like a French r (غ)
kh
like the ch in Scottish loch or German Bach (خ)
ch
like English sh (ش)

Vocabulary

lmatichaالمطيشة
tomatoes
lkiloالكيلو
a kilo
ghali / ghalyaغالي / غالية
expensive (m. / f.)
bzzafبزاف
a lot, very, too
ma ymkenchما يمكنش
it’s not possible
safiصافي
that’s it, enough, done
3tiniعطيني
give me
jujجوج
twoAlso written “jouj”.
hakهاك
here, take it
drahm / dirhamدراهم / درهم
dirhamsFrom 3 to 10 you say “drahm” (tmnya drahm); from 11 up, “dirham” (rba3tach dirham). Many Moroccans also count in “ryal” (1 dirham = 20 ryal).

Repeat after me

Play a phrase, then say it out loud during the pause.

  • Salam, bchhal lmaticha?

    Hi, how much are the tomatoes?

  • Ghalya bzzaf! B stta?

    That’s too expensive! For six?

  • Wakha. 3tini juj kilo.

    Okay. Give me two kilos.

  • Hak 3echrin.

    Here’s twenty.

Quiz

  1. Question 1 of 8What does “bzzaf” mean?
  2. Question 2 of 8How do you say “Give me two kilos”?
  3. Question 3 of 8What does “ma ymkench” mean?
  4. Question 4 of 8How much change does the customer get?
  5. Question 5 of 8Match each expression with its meaning.
  6. Question 6 of 8What does “lmaticha” mean?
  7. Question 7 of 8How do you say “a lot, very, too” in Darija?
  8. Question 8 of 8 · Review from lesson 6Review (lesson 6): what does “wa7d” mean?

Your turn

Ask the price of some fruit, say it’s too expensive, offer a price and buy a kilo.

Show an example answer

Bchhal lbanan? … Ghali bzzaf! B 3achra? … Wakha, 3tini kilo.

بشحال البنان؟ … غالي بزاف! بعشرة؟ … واخا، عطيني كيلو.

How much are the bananas? … Too expensive! Ten? … Okay, give me a kilo.

Summary

“Bchhal…?”, “ghali bzzaf!”, “b …?” to offer, “3tini … kilo” and “hak” when paying.

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