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Module 9 · Grammar and communication

Lesson 84 · Lower intermediate · 4 min

Asking questions naturally

“Wach… wla…?”, “yak?”, “ach mn…?”, “chkoun lli…?” and “wla la?”.

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

In this lesson

  • Ask an either/or question
  • Ask for confirmation with “yak?”
  • Use “ach mn…?” and “chkoun lli…?”

Beyond question words, Darija has small tools that make questions sound natural: “yak?” (right?), “wla la?” (or not?).

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. HajarYak nta ghadi tji l l3ers ghedda?You’re coming to the wedding tomorrow, right?
  2. BilalIyyeh, bla chek. Wach l3ers f Rbat wla f Sla?Yes, definitely. Is the wedding in Rabat or in Salé?
  3. HajarF Sla. Ach mn sa3a ghadi tji?In Salé. What time will you come?
  4. BilalM3a tmnya. Chkoun lli ghadi ykoun tmma?At eight. Who’s going to be there?
  5. HajarL3ayla kamla w s7abat l3arousa. Bghiti tji m3ana f ttomobil wla la?The whole family and the bride’s friends. Do you want to come with us in the car or not?
  6. BilalIyyeh, mzyan. Kayna blassa, s7i7?Yes, great. There’s room, isn’t there?
  7. HajarKayna. W ghadi tlbes jellaba, yak?There is. And you’ll wear a djellaba, right?
  8. BilalAch men su2al! Iyyeh, tbe3an.What a question! Yes, of course.
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

yak?ياك؟
right? isn’t it?At the start: “yak nta ghadi tji?” = you’re coming, aren’t you?
wach … wla …?واش … ولا …؟
is it … or …?
wla la?ولا لا؟
or not?
ach mn…?أش من…؟
which…? what…?
chkoun lli…?شكون اللي…؟
who is it that…?
s7i7?صحيح؟
really? is that right?
tbe3anطبعا
of course
l3arousaالعروسة
the bride
su2alسؤال
a question
tlbesتلبس
you wear, put on
bla chekبلا شك
definitely

Repeat after me

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

  • Yak nta ghadi tji l l3ers ghedda?

    ياك نتا غادي تجي للعرس غدا؟

    You’re coming to the wedding tomorrow, right?

  • Iyyeh, bla chek. Wach l3ers f Rbat wla f Sla?

    إيه، بلا شك. واش العرس فالرباط ولا فسلا؟

    Yes, definitely. Is the wedding in Rabat or in Salé?

  • L3ayla kamla w s7abat l3arousa. Bghiti tji m3ana f ttomobil wla la?

    العايلة كاملة وصحابات العروسة. بغيتي تجي معانا فالطوموبيل ولا لا؟

    The whole family and the bride’s friends. Do you want to come with us in the car or not?

  • Kayna. W ghadi tlbes jellaba, yak?

    كاينة. وغادي تلبس جلابة، ياك؟

    There is. And you’ll wear a djellaba, right?

Quiz

  1. Question 1 of 7Where is the wedding?
  2. Question 2 of 7Fill in the blankBghiti tji m3ana f ttomobil wla ?Do you want to come with us in the car or not?
  3. Question 3 of 7What is “yak?” used for?
  4. Question 4 of 7Match each expression with its meaning.
  5. Question 5 of 7What does “ach mn…?” mean?
  6. Question 6 of 7How do you say “definitely” in Darija?
  7. Question 7 of 7 · Review from lesson 18Review (lesson 18): what does “men b3d” mean?

Your turn

Ask a friend three questions: one with “yak”, one with “wla”, one with “ach mn”.

Show an example answer

Yak nta mghribi? Bghiti atay wla 9ahwa? Ach mn film bghiti tchouf?

ياك نتا مغريبي؟ بغيتي أتاي ولا قهوة؟ أش من فيلم بغيتي تشوف؟

You’re Moroccan, right? Do you want tea or coffee? Which film do you want to see?

Summary

“Yak…?”, “wach … wla …?”, “… wla la?”, “ach mn…?”, “chkoun lli…?” and “tbe3an”.

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