Lesson 20 · Beginner · 4 min
With the neighbour: talking about the weather
An everyday chat about the heat, the rain and errands.
- Unreviewed: this lesson’s Darija and translations have not yet been checked by a native speaker.
In this lesson
- Talk about the weather
- Address an older person politely
- Use common blessings
The weather is a universal topic. With older neighbours you add respect (“a lhajja”) and blessings.
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
- Lhajja ZinebSba7 lkhir a wlidi! Lyoum l7al skhoun bzzaf.Good morning, my son! It’s very hot today.
- LucasIyyeh, s7i7! Wach dima hakka f sseif?Yes, it’s true! Is it always like this in summer?
- Lhajja ZinebF ghocht, iyyeh. Walakin f chta kayji lberd.In August, yes. But in winter it gets cold.
- LucasW wach katti7 chta bzzaf?And does it rain a lot?
- Lhajja ZinebChi chwiya. Lah yjib chta!A little. May God bring rain!
- LucasAmin! W kif dayra lyoum, a lhajja?Amen! And how are you today, Hajja?
- Lhajja ZinebL7amdoulillah. Ghadia l souq. Bghiti chi 7aja?Thank God. I’m going to the market. Do you need anything?
- LucasLa, lah ykhallik. Lah y3tik sse77a!No, thank you very much. God give you health!
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
- l7alالحال
- the weather“L7al” also means “the state, the situation”.
- skhounسخون
- hot
- lberdالبرد
- the cold
- chtaالشتا
- rain; winter
- katti7 chtaكتطيح الشتا
- it’s raining
- sseifالصيف
- summer
- s7i7صحيح
- true, that’s right
- hakkaهكا
- like this
- a lhajja / a l7ajآ الحاجة / آ الحاج
- respectful address for an older woman / man
- a wlidi / a bentiآ وليدي / آ بنتي
- my son / my daughter (said by an elder)
- lah y3tik sse77aالله يعطيك الصحة
- thank you (God give you health)
Repeat after me
Read each phrase out loud, then cover it and say it from memory.
Sba7 lkhir a wlidi! Lyoum l7al skhoun bzzaf.
صباح الخير آ وليدي! اليوم الحال سخون بزاف.
Good morning, my son! It’s very hot today.
Iyyeh, s7i7! Wach dima hakka f sseif?
إيه، صحيح! واش ديما هكا فالصيف؟
Yes, it’s true! Is it always like this in summer?
W wach katti7 chta bzzaf?
وواش كتطيح الشتا بزاف؟
And does it rain a lot?
La, lah ykhallik. Lah y3tik sse77a!
لا، الله يخليك. الله يعطيك الصحة!
No, thank you very much. God give you health!
Quiz
Your turn
You meet an older neighbour: greet them respectfully, talk about the weather and thank them.
Show an example answer
Sba7 lkhir a l7aj! Lyoum l7al bared. … Lah y3tik sse77a!
صباح الخير آ الحاج! اليوم الحال بارد. … الله يعطيك الصحة!
Good morning, Hajj! It’s cold today. … God give you health!
Summary
“L7al skhoun / bared”, “katti7 chta”, “a lhajja / a l7aj” for respect, and “lah y3tik sse77a” to thank.
Finished?
Your progress is saved in this browser, on this device only. It is not synced to your other devices.