Module 1 · Greetings and introductions
Lesson 8 · Beginner · 4 min
Nta sa7b Karim? Meeting new people
Getting to know someone at a party: who knows whom, and how.
- Unreviewed: this lesson’s Darija and translations have not yet been checked by a native speaker.
In this lesson
- Ask how someone knows a mutual friend
- Use “hada / hadi” to introduce people
- Make polite small talk
At a gathering at a friend’s home, people will ask how you know the host. Here’s how to answer and keep the chat going.
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
- SaraSalam! Nta sa7b Karim?Hi! Are you a friend of Karim’s?
- OmarIyyeh, ana Omar. Kankhedmo m3a ba3d.Yes, I’m Omar. We work together.
- SaraMetcharfa! Ana Sara, jarto.Nice to meet you! I’m Sara, his neighbour.
- OmarMetcharfin. Hadi awwel merra tjiy l daro?Nice to meet you. Is this your first time at his place?
- SaraLa, kanji dima. W nta?No, I come often. And you?
- OmarAna awwel merra. Karim dima kayhder 3lik.It’s my first time. Karim often talks about you.
- SaraB lkhir inchallah!Only good things, I hope!
- OmarGhir lkhir, ghir lkhir!Only good things!
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
- sa7b / sa7baصاحب / صاحبة
- friend (m. / f.)“Sa7bi” = my friend (m.); “sa7bti” = my friend (f.).
- jar / jaraجار / جارة
- neighbour (m. / f.)
- m3a ba3dمع بعض
- together
- kankhedmoكنخدمو
- we work
- hada / hadiهادا / هادي
- this (m. / f.), this is
- awwel merraأول مرة
- the first time
- dimaديما
- always, often
- darدار
- house, home
- kayhder 3laكيهضر على
- he talks about
- ghir lkhirغير الخير
- only good things
Repeat after me
Read each phrase out loud, then cover it and say it from memory.
Salam! Nta sa7b Karim?
السلام! نتا صاحب كريم؟
Hi! Are you a friend of Karim’s?
Iyyeh, ana Omar. Kankhedmo m3a ba3d.
إيه، أنا عمر. كنخدمو مع بعض.
Yes, I’m Omar. We work together.
Metcharfin. Hadi awwel merra tjiy l daro?
متشرفين. هادي أول مرة تجي لدارو؟
Nice to meet you. Is this your first time at his place?
B lkhir inchallah!
بالخير إن شاء الله!
Only good things, I hope!
Quiz
Your turn
You’re at a party. Introduce yourself and say how you know the host.
Show an example answer
Salam, ana Lisa. Ana sa7bt Nadia, kankhedmo m3a ba3d.
السلام، أنا ليزا. أنا صاحبت نادية، كنخدمو مع بعض.
Hi, I’m Lisa. I’m Nadia’s friend, we work together.
Summary
“Nta sa7b…?”, “kankhedmo m3a ba3d”, “awwel merra” and “dima” help you get to know people naturally.
Finished?
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