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Module 3 · Food and cafés

Lesson 27 · Beginner · 4 min

Kay3jebni: saying what you like

Talking about tastes: sweet, spicy, fish or meat.

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

In this lesson

  • Say what you like and don’t like
  • Express a preference with “kanfeddel”
  • Suggest an outing

In Darija, things you like “please you”: “kay3jebni” (it pleases me). Negation wraps the verb: “ma kay3jebnich”.

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. MeryemKat3jbek lmakla lmghribiya?Do you like Moroccan food?
  2. ErikBzzaf! Kay3jebni ttajine, walakin ma kay3jebnich l7rr bzzaf.Very much! I like tajine, but I don’t like it too spicy.
  3. MeryemW l7lwa? Katbghi chebbakiya?And sweets? Do you like chebakia?
  4. ErikKanfeddel ka3b lghzal. Chebbakiya 7lowa bzzaf 3liya.I prefer gazelle horns. Chebakia is too sweet for me.
  5. MeryemW l7out wla l7em?Fish or meat?
  6. ErikL7out, khossossan sserdin mchwi.Fish, especially grilled sardines.
  7. MeryemAna kanmout 3la sserdin! Nmchiw nakloh f sSwira?I’m crazy about sardines! Shall we go and eat some in Essaouira?
  8. ErikFikra zwina!Good idea!
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

kay3jebni / ma kay3jebnichكيعجبني / ما كيعجبنيش
I like / I don’t like (it pleases me)
kat3jbek?كتعجبك؟
do you like? (does it please you?)
kanfeddelكنفضل
I prefer
lmaklaالماكلة
food
l7lwaالحلوة
sweets, pastries
7lou / 7lowaحلو / حلوة
sweet (m. / f.)
chebbakiyaالشباكية
chebakia (honey and sesame pastry)
ka3b lghzalكعب الغزال
gazelle horns (almond pastry)
sserdin mchwiالسردين مشوي
grilled sardines
kanmout 3laكنموت على
I’m crazy about (literally “I die for”)
fikra zwinaفكرة زوينة
good idea

Repeat after me

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

  • Kat3jbek lmakla lmghribiya?

    كتعجبك الماكلة المغربية؟

    Do you like Moroccan food?

  • Bzzaf! Kay3jebni ttajine, walakin ma kay3jebnich l7rr bzzaf.

    بزاف! كيعجبني الطاجين، ولكن ما كيعجبنيش الحر بزاف.

    Very much! I like tajine, but I don’t like it too spicy.

  • Kanfeddel ka3b lghzal. Chebbakiya 7lowa bzzaf 3liya.

    كنفضل كعب الغزال. الشباكية حلوة بزاف عليا.

    I prefer gazelle horns. Chebakia is too sweet for me.

  • Fikra zwina!

    فكرة زوينة!

    Good idea!

Quiz

  1. Question 1 of 7What doesn’t Erik like much?
  2. Question 2 of 7Fill in the blank ka3b lghzal.I prefer gazelle horns.
  3. Question 3 of 7How do you say “I don’t like it”?
  4. Question 4 of 7Match each expression with its meaning.
  5. Question 5 of 7What does “lmakla” mean?
  6. Question 6 of 7How do you say “do you like? (does it please you?)” in Darija?
  7. Question 7 of 7 · Review from lesson 24Review (lesson 24): what does “dakhel” mean?

Your turn

Name two dishes you like, one you don’t, and what you prefer.

Show an example answer

Kay3jebni lkeskes w l7rira. Ma kay3jebnich l7out. Kanfeddel l7em.

كيعجبني الكسكس والحريرة. ما كيعجبنيش الحوت. كنفضل اللحم.

I like couscous and harira. I don’t like fish. I prefer meat.

Summary

“Kay3jebni / ma kay3jebnich”, “kanfeddel…”, and “kanmout 3la…” for something you love.

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