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Module 1 · Greetings and introductions

Lesson 6 · Beginner · 4 min

Chhal f 3mrek? Age and numbers 1–10

Counting from 1 to 10, asking and giving ages.

  • Unreviewed: this lesson’s Darija and translations have not yet been checked by a native speaker.

In this lesson

  • Count from 1 to 10
  • Ask and give someone’s age
  • Use the short number forms with “snin”

Numbers are everywhere: age, prices, time. In Darija, from 3 to 10 the number shortens before a noun: “tlata” becomes “tlt snin”.

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

  1. FatimaWach 3ndek lwlad?Do you have children?
  2. TomIyyeh, 3ndi jouj: wld w bent.Yes, I have two: a boy and a girl.
  3. FatimaTbarkallah! Chhal f 3merhom?Bless them! How old are they?
  4. TomLwld 3ndo tmn snin, w lbent 3ndha tlt snin.The boy is eight and the girl is three.
  5. FatimaW nta, chhal f 3mrek?And you, how old are you?
  6. TomAna 3ndi rb3in 3am. W nti?I’m forty. And you?
  7. FatimaAna 3ndi khamsa w tlatin.I’m thirty-five.
  8. TomMa bayench 3lik!You don’t look it!
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

wa7dواحد
one
joujجوج
two
tlataتلاتة
three
rb3aربعة
four
khamsaخمسة
five
sttaستة
six
sb3aسبعة
seven
tmnyaتمنية
eight
ts3oudتسعود
nineYou’ll also hear “ts3a”.
3achraعشرة
ten
chhal f 3mrek?شحال فعمرك؟
how old are you?
3ndi … 3am / sninعندي … عام / سنين
I am … years oldFrom 3 to 10: short form + “snin” (tlt snin, tmn snin). From 11 up: “3am”.

Repeat after me

Read each phrase out loud, then cover it and say it from memory.

  • Tbarkallah! Chhal f 3merhom?

    تبارك الله! شحال فعمرهم؟

    Bless them! How old are they?

  • Lwld 3ndo tmn snin, w lbent 3ndha tlt snin.

    الولد عندو تمن سنين، والبنت عندها تلت سنين.

    The boy is eight and the girl is three.

  • W nta, chhal f 3mrek?

    ونتا، شحال فعمرك؟

    And you, how old are you?

  • Ana 3ndi rb3in 3am. W nti?

    أنا عندي ربعين عام. ونتي؟

    I’m forty. And you?

Quiz

  1. Question 1 of 7How old is Tom’s son?
  2. Question 2 of 7Fill in the blankChhal f ?How old are you?
  3. Question 3 of 7How do you say “three years old”?
  4. Question 4 of 7Match each expression with its meaning.
  5. Question 5 of 7What does “tmnya” mean?
  6. Question 6 of 7How do you say “one” in Darija?
  7. Question 7 of 7 · Review from lesson 3Review (lesson 3): what does “mn” mean?

Your turn

Count out loud from 1 to 10, then say your age and the age of someone close to you.

Show an example answer

Ana 3ndi tlatin 3am. Khti 3ndha sb3 snin.

أنا عندي تلاتين عام. ختي عندها سبع سنين.

I’m thirty. My sister is seven.

Summary

Wa7d, jouj, tlata… 3achra; “chhal f 3mrek?”; “3ndi tlt snin” (3–10) and “3ndi … 3am” (11 and up).

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