Module 7 · Family and relationships
Lesson 61 · Lower intermediate · 4 min
The extended family
Uncles, aunts, cousins: the precise words of the Moroccan family.
- Unreviewed: this lesson’s Darija and translations have not yet been checked by a native speaker.
In this lesson
- Tell the father’s and mother’s side apart
- Introduce family members
- Talk about your cousins
Like Swedish (farbror / morbror), Darija separates paternal uncles and aunts (3emm, 3emma) from maternal ones (khal, khala).
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
- AnnaChkoun hada f tteswira?Who’s this in the photo?
- IlyasHada jeddi, bba d bba.That’s my grandfather, my father’s father.
- AnnaW hadi?And her?
- IlyasHadi 3emmti, khet bba. W hadak khali, khou mama.That’s my aunt, my father’s sister. And that’s my uncle, my mother’s brother.
- AnnaKayn chi far9 bin 3emm w khal?Is there a difference between “3emm” and “khal”?
- IlyasIyyeh: l3emm mn jihet bba, w lkhal mn jihet mama.Yes: “3emm” is on the father’s side, “khal” on the mother’s side.
- AnnaW hadouk ddrari?And those kids?
- IlyasWlad 3emmi. 3ndi bzzaf d wlad l3emm!My cousins. I have lots of cousins!
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
- tteswiraالتصويرة
- the photo
- jedd / jeddaجد / جدة
- grandfather / grandmother
- 3emm / 3emmaعم / عمة
- uncle / aunt (father’s side)
- khal / khalaخال / خالة
- uncle / aunt (mother’s side)
- khou…خو…
- the brother of…
- khet…خت…
- the sister of…
- mn jihet…من جيهة…
- on the side of…
- ddrariالدراري
- the kids
- wlad 3emmiولاد عمي
- my cousins (paternal uncle’s children)
- far9فرق
- a difference
- l3aylaالعايلة
- the family
Repeat after me
Read each phrase out loud, then cover it and say it from memory.
Chkoun hada f tteswira?
شكون هادا فالتصويرة؟
Who’s this in the photo?
Hada jeddi, bba d bba.
هادا جدي، بّا د بّا.
That’s my grandfather, my father’s father.
Hadi 3emmti, khet bba. W hadak khali, khou mama.
هادي عمتي، خت بّا. وهاداك خالي، خو ماما.
That’s my aunt, my father’s sister. And that’s my uncle, my mother’s brother.
Iyyeh: l3emm mn jihet bba, w lkhal mn jihet mama.
إيه: العم من جيهة بّا، والخال من جيهة ماما.
Yes: “3emm” is on the father’s side, “khal” on the mother’s side.
Quiz
Your turn
Describe a family photo: name three people and say which side they’re on.
Show an example answer
Hadi khalti, khet mama. Hada 3emmi. W hadouk wlad khalti.
هادي خالتي، خت ماما. هادا عمي. وهادوك ولاد خالتي.
This is my aunt, my mother’s sister. This is my paternal uncle. And those are my aunt’s children.
Summary
3emm / 3emma (father’s side), khal / khala (mother’s side), jedd / jedda, wlad 3emmi, and “khou… / khet…”.
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