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Module 1 · Greetings and introductions

Lesson 4 · Beginner · 4 min

Mnin nta? Nationality

Saying your nationality and city, and reacting to other people’s.

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

In this lesson

  • Give your nationality in the masculine and feminine
  • Say “not” with “machi”
  • Ask which city someone comes from

Moroccans love guessing where you’re from. Nationalities are usually formed with -i (man) and -iya (woman).

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. HamidMr7ba! Nti fransawiya?Welcome! Are you French?
  2. EmmaLa, ana machi fransawiya. Ana swidiya.No, I’m not French. I’m Swedish.
  3. HamidSwidiya? Mn ina mdina?Swedish? Which city?
  4. EmmaMn Stockholm. W nta, mghribi?From Stockholm. And you, are you Moroccan?
  5. HamidIyyeh, ana mghribi, mn Rbat. Walakin mrati almaniya.Yes, I’m Moroccan, from Rabat. But my wife is German.
  6. EmmaZwin! Ana kanbghi lMeghrib bzzaf.Great! I really love Morocco.
  7. HamidMr7ba bik f bladek ttanya!Welcome to your second home!
  8. EmmaChokran bzzaf!Thank you very much!
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

fransawi / fransawiyaفرنساوي / فرنساوية
French (m. / f.)
swidi / swidiyaسويدي / سويدية
Swedish (m. / f.)
inglizi / ingliziyaإنجليزي / إنجليزية
English, British (m. / f.)
mghribi / mghribiyaمغريبي / مغريبية
Moroccan (m. / f.)
almani / almaniyaألماني / ألمانية
German (m. / f.)
machiماشي
not (before a noun or adjective)“Ana machi fransawiya”: I’m not French.
ina…?إينا…؟
which…?You may also hear “achmen…?” depending on the region.
lmdinaالمدينة
the city, town
lblad / bladiالبلاد / بلادي
the country / my country
kanbghiكنبغي
I love, I like

Repeat after me

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

  • Mr7ba! Nti fransawiya?

    مرحبا! نتي فرنساوية؟

    Welcome! Are you French?

  • La, ana machi fransawiya. Ana swidiya.

    لا، أنا ماشي فرنساوية. أنا سويدية.

    No, I’m not French. I’m Swedish.

  • Mn Stockholm. W nta, mghribi?

    من ستوكهولم. ونتا، مغريبي؟

    From Stockholm. And you, are you Moroccan?

  • Zwin! Ana kanbghi lMeghrib bzzaf.

    زوين! أنا كنبغي المغرب بزاف.

    Great! I really love Morocco.

Quiz

  1. Question 1 of 7Where is Emma from?
  2. Question 2 of 7Fill in the blankAna fransawiya. Ana swidiya.I’m not French. I’m Swedish.
  3. Question 3 of 7An Englishman says: “Ana …”
  4. Question 4 of 7Match each expression with its meaning.
  5. Question 5 of 7What does “lblad / bladi” mean?
  6. Question 6 of 7How do you say “which…?” in Darija?
  7. Question 7 of 7 · Review from lesson 3Review (lesson 3): what does “mn” mean?

Your turn

Say your nationality and city, then ask someone if they’re Moroccan.

Show an example answer

Ana fransawi, mn Lyon. W nta, mghribi?

أنا فرنساوي، من ليون. ونتا، مغريبي؟

I’m French, from Lyon. And you, are you Moroccan?

Summary

Nationalities in -i / -iya (fransawi, swidiya…), “machi” for “not”, and “mn ina mdina?” to ask which city.

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