Module 5 · Transport and directions
Lesson 47 · Elementary · 4 min
Distances and travel times
Asking how long and how many kilometres, by car or by coach.
- Unreviewed: this lesson’s Darija and translations have not yet been checked by a native speaker.
In this lesson
- Ask how long a journey takes
- Compare two means of transport
- Wish someone a safe journey
Distances in Morocco can be deceptive: mountain roads make trips longer. Always ask how long, not just how far.
No audio for this lesson yet
This lesson hasn’t been recorded yet, and we won’t fake it with a made-up voice. Read the dialogue out loud with the help of the transliteration key.
Dialogue
- JonasChhal dyal lwe9t mn hna l Chefchaouen?How long does it take from here to Chefchaouen?
- SihamB ttomobil, chi tlt swaye3.By car, about three hours.
- JonasW b lkar?And by coach?
- SihamB lkar ktar, chi khms swaye3.By coach it’s longer, about five hours.
- JonasChhal mn kilometr?How many kilometres?
- SihamChi mitayn kilometr. Walakin ttri9 fiha jjbal.About two hundred kilometres. But the road goes through the mountains.
- JonasIwa khassni nkhrej bekri.So I need to leave early.
- SihamIyyeh, w tri9 ssalama!Yes, and have a safe trip!
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
- chhal dyal lwe9t?شحال ديال الوقت؟
- how long?
- mn hna l…من هنا ل…
- from here to…
- ttomobilالطوموبيل
- the car
- lkarالكار
- the coach
- sa3a / swaye3ساعة / سوايع
- an hour / hours
- ktarكتر
- more, longer
- kilometrكيلومتر
- kilometre
- ttri9الطريق
- the road
- jjbalالجبال
- the mountains
- nkhrejنخرج
- I leave, go out
- tri9 ssalamaطريق السلامة
- have a safe trip
Repeat after me
Read each phrase out loud, then cover it and say it from memory.
Chhal dyal lwe9t mn hna l Chefchaouen?
شحال ديال الوقت من هنا لشفشاون؟
How long does it take from here to Chefchaouen?
W b lkar?
وبالكار؟
And by coach?
Chhal mn kilometr?
شحال من كيلومتر؟
How many kilometres?
Iyyeh, w tri9 ssalama!
إيه، وطريق السلامة!
Yes, and have a safe trip!
Quiz
Your turn
Ask how long it takes to get to another town, by car and by train.
Show an example answer
Chhal dyal lwe9t mn Rbat l Casa b ttomobil? W b tran?
شحال ديال الوقت من الرباط لكازا بالطوموبيل؟ وبالتران؟
How long from Rabat to Casablanca by car? And by train?
Summary
“Chhal dyal lwe9t mn hna l…?”, “b ttomobil / b lkar”, “swaye3”, “kilometr” and “tri9 ssalama!”.
Finished?
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