Skip to main content
DarijaGo
All lessons

Module 5 · Transport and directions

Lesson 43 · Elementary · 4 min

Taking the city bus

Finding the right line, the stop, how often it runs and the ticket price.

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

In this lesson

  • Ask where a bus goes
  • Ask about the stop and frequency
  • Know where to buy the ticket

The bus is the cheapest way to get around. People at the stop are often the best source of information.

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. MathisSme7 lia, wach had tobis kaymchi l Gueliz?Excuse me, does this bus go to Gueliz?
  2. ZahraLa, khassek nemra tnach.No, you need number twelve.
  3. MathisW fin kay9ef nemra tnach?And where does the twelve stop?
  4. ZahraF lmo7atta lli 9oddam lbanka.At the stop in front of the bank.
  5. MathisFou9ach kayduz?When does it come?
  6. ZahraKol rbe3 sa3a ta9riban.About every quarter of an hour.
  7. MathisW lbiyyi, nchrih mn ccheffor?And the ticket, do I buy it from the driver?
  8. ZahraIyyeh, khelles mlli tetla3. Khms drahm.Yes, pay when you get on. Five dirhams.
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

tobisالطوبيس
the bus
kaymchi l…كيمشي ل…
it goes to…
nemraنمرة
number
lmo7attaالمحطة
the stop, station
kay9efكيوقف
it stops
9oddamقدام
in front of
kayduzكيدوز
it passes, comes by
kolكل
every
ta9ribanتقريبا
about, roughly
lbiyyiالبيي
the ticket
cchefforالشيفور
the driver
mlli tetla3ملي تطلع
when you get on

Repeat after me

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

  • Sme7 lia, wach had tobis kaymchi l Gueliz?

    سمح ليا، واش هاد الطوبيس كيمشي لكليز؟

    Excuse me, does this bus go to Gueliz?

  • W fin kay9ef nemra tnach?

    وفين كيوقف نمرة طناش؟

    And where does the twelve stop?

  • Fou9ach kayduz?

    فوقاش كيدوز؟

    When does it come?

  • W lbiyyi, nchrih mn ccheffor?

    والبيي، نشريه من الشيفور؟

    And the ticket, do I buy it from the driver?

Quiz

  1. Question 1 of 7Which bus goes to Gueliz?
  2. Question 2 of 7Fill in the blankFou9ach ?When does it come?
  3. Question 3 of 7Where do you buy the ticket?
  4. Question 4 of 7Match each expression with its meaning.
  5. Question 5 of 7What does “mlli tetla3” mean?
  6. Question 6 of 7How do you say “the ticket” in Darija?
  7. Question 7 of 7 · Review from lesson 14Review (lesson 14): what does “d sba7” mean?

Your turn

At the stop, ask which bus goes to the station, where it stops and when it comes.

Show an example answer

Ina tobis kaymchi l lagar? Fin kay9ef? Fou9ach kayduz?

إينا طوبيس كيمشي للاگار؟ فين كيوقف؟ فوقاش كيدوز؟

Which bus goes to the station? Where does it stop? When does it come?

Summary

“Wach had tobis kaymchi l…?”, “nemra…”, “lmo7atta”, “fou9ach kayduz?” and “khelles mlli tetla3”.

Finished?

Your progress is saved in this browser, on this device only. It is not synced to your other devices.

Review these lessons