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Module 2 · Everyday life

Lesson 13 · Beginner · 4 min

F ddar: family life at home

Talking about family members and sharing out the chores.

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

In this lesson

  • Name close family members
  • Ask “who?” with “chkoun”
  • Talk about household chores

Moroccan homes are often full: parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents. Everyone pitches in.

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. HichamFin lwalida?Where’s Mum?
  2. SalmaMchat l souq m3a bba.She went to the market with Dad.
  3. HichamW chkoun ghadi ytiyyeb lghda?So who’s going to make lunch?
  4. Salma7na b jouj. Nta ghsel lmwa3en, w ana ntiyyeb.The two of us. You do the dishes and I’ll cook.
  5. HichamWakha. W khouna sghir?Okay. And our little brother?
  6. SalmaHowa ynqqi lbit dyalo.He’ll tidy his room.
  7. HichamMzyan. W jeddti? Wach klat?Good. And Grandma? Has she eaten?
  8. SalmaIyyeh, klat w n3sat chwiya.Yes, she ate and she’s having a little nap.
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

lwalida / mamaالواليدة / ماما
mother / Mum
lwalid / bbaالواليد / بّا
father / Dad
khouya / khounaخويا / خونا
my brother / our brother
khtiختي
my sister
jeddti / jeddiجدتي / جدي
my grandmother / my grandfather
chkounشكون
who
lghdaالغدا
lunch
tiyyebطيب
to cook
ghsel lmwa3enغسل الماعن
to do the dishes
nqqaنقى
to clean, tidy
7na b joujحنا بجوج
the two of us

Repeat after me

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

  • Fin lwalida?

    فين الواليدة؟

    Where’s Mum?

  • W chkoun ghadi ytiyyeb lghda?

    وشكون غادي يطيب الغدا؟

    So who’s going to make lunch?

  • 7na b jouj. Nta ghsel lmwa3en, w ana ntiyyeb.

    حنا بجوج. نتا غسل الماعن، وأنا نطيب.

    The two of us. You do the dishes and I’ll cook.

  • Mzyan. W jeddti? Wach klat?

    مزيان. وجدتي؟ واش كلات؟

    Good. And Grandma? Has she eaten?

Quiz

  1. Question 1 of 7Where has Mum gone?
  2. Question 2 of 7Fill in the blank ghadi ytiyyeb lghda?Who’s going to make lunch?
  3. Question 3 of 7What does Hicham have to do?
  4. Question 4 of 7Match each expression with its meaning.
  5. Question 5 of 7What does “7na b jouj” mean?
  6. Question 6 of 7How do you say “to do the dishes” in Darija?
  7. Question 7 of 7 · Review from lesson 6Review (lesson 6): what does “khamsa” mean?

Your turn

Introduce your family in three sentences and say who does what at home.

Show an example answer

3ndi khouya w khti. Lwalida katiyyeb, w ana kanghsel lmwa3en.

عندي خويا وختي. الواليدة كطيب، وأنا كنغسل الماعن.

I have a brother and a sister. My mother cooks and I do the dishes.

Summary

Lwalida, bba, khouya, khti, jeddti; “chkoun?” to ask who; tiyyeb, ghsel lmwa3en, nqqa for chores.

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