Darija is the language you will hear most often in everyday Morocco. It is spoken differently from the Arabic of textbooks, and a handful of words can change the tone of an exchange before you understand anything more.
Darija is primarily spoken, so the pronunciation written here is a practical guide rather than a formal system. Amazigh languages are also widely spoken across Morocco, particularly in the Atlas and the south, while French remains common in many cities.
Nobody expects a visitor to arrive fluent. A greeting, a thank you and a few well-placed words are enough to begin.
If you learn only ten expressions before arriving, make them these.
For prices, listen for the number first. The rest usually follows from context.
Darija is full of words that do more than their literal translation suggests. You will hear these long before you understand every sentence around them.
Darija has a few sounds English does not. You do not need to master them before you arrive.
Some throat sounds have no neat English equivalent, so the pronunciation spelling is only a guide.
Listen first, imitate lightly, and let the audio do more work than the spelling.
You are not expected to speak Darija well.
A greeting, a thank you or an attempt at a few words is usually enough to change the tone of an exchange. Pronunciation does not need to be perfect, and you do not need to understand every reply.
Moroccans move easily between Darija, Amazigh languages, French and other languages depending on where they are and who they are speaking with. Use what you know, listen carefully, and do not worry about getting every sound right.
Ten words are enough to begin. The rest comes from listening.
Continue preparing for Morocco