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Module 3 · Food and cafés

Lesson 29 · Beginner · 4 min

L7sab: paying at the restaurant

Asking for the bill, paying by card or in cash, and leaving a tip.

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

In this lesson

  • Ask for the bill
  • Ask if cards are accepted
  • Understand the change and leave a tip

Many small restaurants only take cash. A tip of around 10% is appreciated.

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. GuestSme7 lia, jib lina l7sab, 3afak.Excuse me, could you bring us the bill, please?
  2. WaiterDaba. … Hak: mya w 3echrin dirham.Right away. … Here you go: a hundred and twenty dirhams.
  3. GuestWach kat9blo lkarta?Do you take cards?
  4. WaiterSme7 lina, ghir lkach.Sorry, cash only.
  5. GuestMa kayn mochkil. Hak mitayn.No problem. Here’s two hundred.
  6. WaiterHak sserf: tmanin dirham.Here’s your change: eighty dirhams.
  7. GuestKhelli 3echra lik.Keep ten for yourself.
  8. WaiterLah ykhlef! Mr7ba bikom dima.Thank you! You’re always welcome.
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

jib lina l7sabجيب لينا الحساب
bring us the bill
wach kat9blo lkarta?واش كتقبلو الكارطة؟
do you take cards?
lkachالكاش
cash
lflousالفلوس
money
myaمية
a hundred
mitaynميتين
two hundred
3echrinعشرين
twenty
tmaninتمانين
eighty
sserfالصرف
change
khelli … likخلي … ليك
keep … for yourselfA simple way to leave a tip.
mr7ba bikom dimaمرحبا بيكم ديما
you’re always welcome

Repeat after me

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

  • Sme7 lia, jib lina l7sab, 3afak.

    سمح ليا، جيب لينا الحساب، عافاك.

    Excuse me, could you bring us the bill, please?

  • Wach kat9blo lkarta?

    واش كتقبلو الكارطة؟

    Do you take cards?

  • Ma kayn mochkil. Hak mitayn.

    ما كاين مشكل. هاك ميتين.

    No problem. Here’s two hundred.

  • Khelli 3echra lik.

    خلي عشرة ليك.

    Keep ten for yourself.

Quiz

  1. Question 1 of 7How does the guest pay?
  2. Question 2 of 7Fill in the blankWach kat9blo ?Do you take cards?
  3. Question 3 of 7How much is the meal?
  4. Question 4 of 7Match each expression with its meaning.
  5. Question 5 of 7What does “lflous” mean?
  6. Question 6 of 7How do you say “you’re always welcome” in Darija?
  7. Question 7 of 7 · Review from lesson 21Review (lesson 21): what does “lbrrad” mean?

Your turn

Ask for the bill, ask if they take cards and leave a tip.

Show an example answer

L7sab, 3afak. Wach kat9blo lkarta? … Khelli 3echrin lik.

الحساب، عافاك. واش كتقبلو الكارطة؟ … خلي عشرين ليك.

The bill, please. Do you take cards? … Keep twenty for yourself.

Summary

“Jib lina l7sab”, “wach kat9blo lkarta?”, “lkach”, “sserf”, and “khelli … lik” for the tip.

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