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Module 5 · Transport and directions

Lesson 44 · Elementary · 4 min

At the station: the train

Finding the platform, understanding a delay and asking about free seats.

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

In this lesson

  • Ask which platform a train leaves from
  • Understand a delay and how long it is
  • Talk about class and seats

The rail network links the main cities. Train words often come from French: “lagar”, “lqai”, “tran”.

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. TravellerSme7 lia, tran dyal Fas, mnin kaykhrej?Excuse me, where does the train to Fez leave from?
  2. Station agentMn lqai nemra jouj. Walakin m3ettel.From platform two. But it’s delayed.
  3. TravellerM3ettel? Chhal dyal lwe9t?Delayed? How long for?
  4. Station agentChi nss sa3a.About half an hour.
  5. TravellerWach fih blayes khawyin?Are there any free seats?
  6. Station agentIyyeh, f ddarja ttanya. Lbiyyi dyalek mn ina darja?Yes, in second class. Which class is your ticket?
  7. TravellerTtanya. W fin n9der nchri lma?Second. And where can I buy water?
  8. Station agentKayn wa7d lkiosque 7da lqai.There’s a kiosk next to the platform.
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

tranالتران
the train
kaykhrejكيخرج
it leaves, goes out
lqaiالكاي
the platform
m3ettelمعطل
late, delayed
chhal dyal lwe9t?شحال ديال الوقت؟
how long?
nss sa3aنص ساعة
half an hour
blayes khawyinبلايص خاويين
free seats
ddarja lwla / ttanyaالدرجة اللولة / التانية
first / second class
n9derنقدر
I can
nchriنشري
I buy
lkiosqueالكيوسك
the kiosk

Repeat after me

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

  • Sme7 lia, tran dyal Fas, mnin kaykhrej?

    سمح ليا، التران ديال فاس، منين كيخرج؟

    Excuse me, where does the train to Fez leave from?

  • M3ettel? Chhal dyal lwe9t?

    معطل؟ شحال ديال الوقت؟

    Delayed? How long for?

  • Wach fih blayes khawyin?

    واش فيه بلايص خاويين؟

    Are there any free seats?

  • Ttanya. W fin n9der nchri lma?

    التانية. وفين نقدر نشري الما؟

    Second. And where can I buy water?

Quiz

  1. Question 1 of 7How late is the train?
  2. Question 2 of 7Fill in the blankMn lqai nemra jouj. Walakin .From platform two. But it’s delayed.
  3. Question 3 of 7Where can you buy water?
  4. Question 4 of 7Match each expression with its meaning.
  5. Question 5 of 7What does “nss sa3a” mean?
  6. Question 6 of 7How do you say “first / second class” in Darija?
  7. Question 7 of 7 · Review from lesson 14Review (lesson 14): what does “d sba7” mean?

Your turn

Ask which platform the train to Rabat leaves from, whether it’s on time and if there are seats left.

Show an example answer

Tran dyal Rbat, mnin kaykhrej? Wach m3ettel? Wach fih blayes khawyin?

التران ديال الرباط، منين كيخرج؟ واش معطل؟ واش فيه بلايص خاويين؟

Where does the train to Rabat leave from? Is it delayed? Are there free seats?

Summary

“Mnin kaykhrej?”, “lqai nemra…”, “m3ettel”, “chhal dyal lwe9t?”, “ddarja lwla / ttanya”.

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