Lesson 22 · Beginner · 4 min · 0:19 of audio
Wa7d nss nss: ordering coffee
Ordering a Moroccan half-and-half coffee and a bottle of water, and choosing a seat.
- Unreviewed: this lesson’s Darija and translations have not yet been checked by a native speaker.
- Placeholder audio: a computer voice, not a native Darija speaker. Real recordings are coming.
Wa7d nss nss: ordering coffee
In this lesson
- Order a drink with “bghit”
- Answer the waiter’s questions
- Say where you’ll sit
“Nss nss” (half coffee, half milk) is the great classic of Moroccan cafés. “Bghit…” is all you need to order.
Dialogue
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
- bghitبغيت
- I want, I’d like
- nss nssنص نص
- half-and-half: coffee and milk
- chi 7aja khraشي حاجة خرا
- something else
- iyyehإيه
- yes
- l9ar3aالقرعة
- the bottle
- lmaالما
- water
- baredبارد
- cold
- 3adiعادي
- normal, room temperature
- 7daحدا
- next to
- sserjemالشرجم
- the window
- dabaدابا
- now, right away
Repeat after me
Play a phrase, then say it out loud during the pause.
Bghit wa7d nss nss, 3afak.
I’d like a nss nss (half coffee, half milk), please.
Iyyeh, wa7d l9ar3a dyal lma.
Yes, a bottle of water.
Bared, 3afak. Ana ghadi ngles hna, 7da sserjem.
Cold, please. I’ll sit here, by the window.
Quiz
Your turn
Order a hot drink and a bottle of cold water in a café.
Show an example answer
Bghit wa7d nss nss w l9ar3a dyal lma bared, 3afak.
بغيت واحد نص نص والقرعة ديال الما بارد، عافاك.
I’d like a nss nss and a bottle of cold water, please.
Summary
“Bghit… 3afak” to order, “bared wla 3adi?” for water, and “7da sserjem” to pick your seat.
Finished?
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