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Module 3 · Food and cafés

Lesson 25 · Beginner · 4 min

Ordering food

Ordering a sandwich, spicy or not, to eat in or take away.

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

In this lesson

  • Order a simple dish
  • Specify spiciness and extras
  • Say eat in or take away

Moroccan snack bars serve kefta sandwiches, chips and skewers. You’ll be called “a khouya” or “a khti” (brother, sister): it’s friendly.

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. StallholderAch bghiti a khouya?What would you like, brother?
  2. CustomerBghit wa7d sandwich d lkefta.I’d like a kefta sandwich.
  3. StallholderB l7rr wla bla 7rr?Spicy or not spicy?
  4. CustomerGhir chwiya d l7rr. W zid lfrit.Just a little spicy. And add chips.
  5. StallholderWakha. Takol hna wla ddih m3ak?Okay. Eat here or take it with you?
  6. CustomerGhadi ndih m3aya.I’ll take it with me.
  7. StallholderHak. Bssa7a!Here you go. Enjoy!
  8. CustomerChokran! Ri7to bnina bzzaf.Thanks! It smells really good.
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

ach bghiti?أش بغيتي؟
what would you like?
a khouya / a khtiآ خويا / آ ختي
brother / sister (friendly address)
lkeftaالكفتة
spiced minced meat
l7rrالحر
chilli, spiciness
zidزيد
add
lfritالفريت
chips, fries
takol hnaتاكل هنا
you eat here
ddih m3akتديه معاك
you take it with you
bssa7aبالصحة
enjoy, bon appétit
ri7aريحة
smell

Repeat after me

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

  • Bghit wa7d sandwich d lkefta.

    بغيت واحد صاندويتش د الكفتة.

    I’d like a kefta sandwich.

  • Ghir chwiya d l7rr. W zid lfrit.

    غير شوية د الحر. وزيد الفريت.

    Just a little spicy. And add chips.

  • Ghadi ndih m3aya.

    غادي نديه معايا.

    I’ll take it with me.

  • Chokran! Ri7to bnina bzzaf.

    شكرا! ريحتو بنينة بزاف.

    Thanks! It smells really good.

Quiz

  1. Question 1 of 7Does the customer eat there?
  2. Question 2 of 7Fill in the blankB l7rr wla 7rr?Spicy or not spicy?
  3. Question 3 of 7What do people say when serving food?
  4. Question 4 of 7Match each expression with its meaning.
  5. Question 5 of 7What does “lkefta” mean?
  6. Question 6 of 7How do you say “you eat here” in Darija?
  7. Question 7 of 7 · Review from lesson 22Review (lesson 22): what does “3adi” mean?

Your turn

Order a sandwich, not spicy, with chips, to eat in.

Show an example answer

Bghit sandwich d lkefta bla 7rr, w zid lfrit. Ghadi nakol hna.

بغيت صاندويتش د الكفتة بلا حر، وزيد الفريت. غادي ناكل هنا.

I’d like a kefta sandwich without chilli, with chips. I’ll eat here.

Summary

“Bghit…”, “b / bla l7rr”, “zid…”, “takol hna wla ddih m3ak?” and “bssa7a!”.

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