Skip to main content
DarijaGo
All lessons

Module 8 · Work and business

Lesson 72 · Lower intermediate · 4 min

First day at the office

Discovering your desk, colleagues, team and workplace routines.

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

In this lesson

  • Name places and people at work
  • Ask where things are
  • Express your enthusiasm

At the office people often mix Darija and French: “lbiro”, “lprojet”… Both are understood.

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. SamiraMr7ba bik f lbiro! Hada lbiro dyalek.Welcome to the office! This is your desk.
  2. NilsChokran. W fin kayn lmudir?Thanks. And where’s the manager?
  3. SamiraF ttbe9 ttani. Ghadi nwerrik men b3d.On the second floor. I’ll show you later.
  4. NilsW fin kaynin zzmala?And where are the colleagues?
  5. SamiraHna, f lfari9 dyalna. Kollna kankhdmo f nefs lmachrou3.Here, in our team. We all work on the same project.
  6. NilsMzyan. W fin n9der nakhod l9ahwa?Good. And where can I get coffee?
  7. SamiraKayna machina f lkouzina. W lghda m3a ttnach w nss.There’s a machine in the kitchen. And lunch is at half past twelve.
  8. NilsWa3er. Ana fer7an nkhdem m3akom.Great. I’m happy to work with you all.
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

lbiroالبيرو
the office, desk
lmudir / lmudiraالمدير / المديرة
the manager (m. / f.)
ttbe9الطبقة
the floor (storey)
zmil / zmila / zzmalaزميل / زميلة / الزملاء
colleague (m. / f.) / colleagues
lfari9الفريق
the team
nefsنفس
the same
lmachrou3المشروع
the project
nakhodناخد
I take, I get
lmachinaالماكينة
the machine
nwerrikنوريك
I’ll show you
nkhdem m3akomنخدم معاكم
to work with you (all)

Repeat after me

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

  • Mr7ba bik f lbiro! Hada lbiro dyalek.

    مرحبا بيك فالبيرو! هادا البيرو ديالك.

    Welcome to the office! This is your desk.

  • Chokran. W fin kayn lmudir?

    شكرا. وفين كاين المدير؟

    Thanks. And where’s the manager?

  • Hna, f lfari9 dyalna. Kollna kankhdmo f nefs lmachrou3.

    هنا، فالفريق ديالنا. كلنا كنخدمو فنفس المشروع.

    Here, in our team. We all work on the same project.

  • Wa3er. Ana fer7an nkhdem m3akom.

    واعر. أنا فرحان نخدم معاكم.

    Great. I’m happy to work with you all.

Quiz

  1. Question 1 of 7Where is the manager?
  2. Question 2 of 7Fill in the blankKollna kankhdmo f nefs .We all work on the same project.
  3. Question 3 of 7What time is lunch?
  4. Question 4 of 7Match each expression with its meaning.
  5. Question 5 of 7What does “zmil / zmila / zzmala” mean?
  6. Question 6 of 7How do you say “the office, desk” in Darija?
  7. Question 7 of 7 · Review from lesson 46Review (lesson 46): what does “3iyyet liya” mean?

Your turn

Describe your workplace: your team, your manager and lunchtime.

Show an example answer

Kankhdem f lfari9 dyal Sara. Lmudira f ttbe9 ttalt. Lghda m3a lwe7da.

كنخدم فالفريق ديال سارة. المديرة فالطبقة التالتة. الغدا مع الوحدة.

I work in Sara’s team. The manager is on the third floor. Lunch is at one.

Summary

Lbiro, lmudir, zzmala, lfari9, lmachrou3, ttbe9 — and “fin kayn…?” to find your way.

Finished?

Your progress is saved in this browser, on this device only. It is not synced to your other devices.

Review these lessons