Lesson 30 · Beginner · 4 min
Dietary needs and allergies
Saying you’re vegetarian or allergic, and checking ingredients.
- Unreviewed: this lesson’s Darija and translations have not yet been checked by a native speaker.
In this lesson
- Say what you don’t eat
- Mention an allergy
- Check what’s in a dish
Many Moroccan dishes contain meat or meat stock. These phrases help you eat safely.
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
- WaiterChno bghiti takli?What would you like to eat?
- GuestAna nabatiya, ma kanaklch l7em.I’m vegetarian, I don’t eat meat.
- WaiterMa kayn mochkil. 3ndna tajine d lkhodra.No problem. We have a vegetable tajine.
- GuestWach fih chi mer9a d l7em?Is there any meat stock in it?
- WaiterLa, ghir lkhodra w zzit.No, just vegetables and oil.
- GuestMzyan. W 3ndi l7assasiya mn lgerga3.Good. And I’m allergic to walnuts.
- WaiterWakha, ma ndirouch lgerga3. W bla 7rr?Okay, we won’t add any. And no chilli?
- GuestLa, b l7rr, 3afak! Kay3jebni.No, with chilli, please! I like it.
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
- nabati / nabatiyaنباتي / نباتية
- vegetarian (m. / f.)
- ma kanaklchما كناكلش
- I don’t eat
- lkhodraالخضرة
- vegetables
- fihفيه
- in it
- lmer9aالمرقة
- sauce, stock
- zzitالزيت
- oil
- l7assasiya mnالحساسية من
- allergy to
- lgerga3الكركاع
- walnuts
- ma ndirouchما نديروش
- we won’t put (any)
- l7libالحليب
- milk
- lbidالبيض
- eggs
Repeat after me
Read each phrase out loud, then cover it and say it from memory.
Ana nabatiya, ma kanaklch l7em.
أنا نباتية، ما كناكلش اللحم.
I’m vegetarian, I don’t eat meat.
Wach fih chi mer9a d l7em?
واش فيه شي مرقة د اللحم؟
Is there any meat stock in it?
Mzyan. W 3ndi l7assasiya mn lgerga3.
مزيان. وعندي الحساسية من الكركاع.
Good. And I’m allergic to walnuts.
Quiz
Your turn
Tell the waiter what you don’t eat and check that a dish doesn’t contain it.
Show an example answer
Ma kanaklch lbid. Wach fih lbid?
ما كناكلش البيض. واش فيه البيض؟
I don’t eat eggs. Are there eggs in it?
Summary
“Ana nabati / nabatiya”, “ma kanaklch…”, “wach fih…?” and “3ndi l7assasiya mn…”.
Finished?
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