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Module 8 · Work and business

Lesson 71 · Lower intermediate · 4 min

Jobs and professions

Saying what you do, where you work, and talking about your workload.

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

In this lesson

  • Ask and say what someone does
  • Use masculine and feminine job titles
  • Say where you work

“Chno katkhdem?” (what do you do for work?) is a common question. Job titles often add -a in the feminine: tbib → tbiba.

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. KarimChno katkhdmi, Elin?What do you do for work, Elin?
  2. ElinAna tbiba f sbitar. W nta?I’m a doctor in a hospital. And you?
  3. KarimAna mohandis, kankhdem f charika d lbni.I’m an engineer, I work for a construction company.
  4. ElinZwin. W mratek?Nice. And your wife?
  5. KarimHiya ostada f lmadrasa. W khouha tajer f souq.She’s a teacher at a school. And her brother is a trader in the souk.
  6. ElinW nta, kat3jbek lkhedma dyalek?And do you like your job?
  7. KarimIyyeh, walakin kankhdem bzzaf d sswaye3.Yes, but I work a lot of hours.
  8. Elin7ta ana! Sbitar 3mmro ma kaywe9ef.Me too! The hospital never stops.
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

chno katkhdem / katkhdmi?شنو كتخدم / كتخدمي؟
what do you do (for work)?
kankhdem f…كنخدم ف…
I work at / in…
tbib / tbibaطبيب / طبيبة
doctor (m. / f.)
mohandis / mohandisaمهندس / مهندسة
engineer (m. / f.)
ostad / ostadaأستاذ / أستاذة
teacher (m. / f.)
tajerتاجر
trader, merchant
charikaشركة
a company
lbniالبني
construction
lkhedma dyalekالخدمة ديالك
your job
3mmro ma…عمرو ما…
never
sswaye3السوايع
hours

Repeat after me

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

  • Chno katkhdmi, Elin?

    شنو كتخدمي، إيلين؟

    What do you do for work, Elin?

  • Ana tbiba f sbitar. W nta?

    أنا طبيبة فسبيطار. ونتا؟

    I’m a doctor in a hospital. And you?

  • Ana mohandis, kankhdem f charika d lbni.

    أنا مهندس، كنخدم فشركة د البني.

    I’m an engineer, I work for a construction company.

  • Iyyeh, walakin kankhdem bzzaf d sswaye3.

    إيه، ولكن كنخدم بزاف د السوايع.

    Yes, but I work a lot of hours.

Quiz

  1. Question 1 of 7What does Karim do?
  2. Question 2 of 7Fill in the blankAna mohandis, kankhdem f d lbni.I’m an engineer, I work for a construction company.
  3. Question 3 of 7A female teacher says: “Ana …”
  4. Question 4 of 7Match each expression with its meaning.
  5. Question 5 of 7What does “chno katkhdem / katkhdmi?” mean?
  6. Question 6 of 7How do you say “doctor (m. / f.)” in Darija?
  7. Question 7 of 7 · Review from lesson 12Review (lesson 12): what does “bekri” mean?

Your turn

Say what you do, where you work and whether you like it.

Show an example answer

Ana ostada, kankhdem f lmadrasa. Kat3jebni lkhedma dyali.

أنا أستاذة، كنخدم فالمدرسة. كتعجبني الخدمة ديالي.

I’m a teacher, I work at a school. I like my job.

Summary

“Chno katkhdem?” – “Ana tbib / mohandis / ostad… (+ -a)”, “kankhdem f charika…”.

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