To get deeper into the Moroccan culture and in your conversations with locals, learning some polite cultural expressions in Darija / Moroccan Arabic in different situations will make your connection with them more strong and give you more understanding of their way of thinking. So, in this article, you will learn a list of polite cultural phrases useful in your daily life in Morocco.

Expressions starting by “Bsa7a”

The expression “Bsa7a w ra7a”

Examples of contexts:

• If someone tells you that he is eating/is going to eat/just finished eating.
• If someone tells you I am going to Hammam or I just come back from Hammam (saying “Bsa7a L Hammam” is also correct). 
• If someone tells you or you notice that he is wearing new clothes for example. In this case, you can also say “Bsa7a + the thing newly bought” like Bsa7a Serwal (Trousers) / Lkamija ( Shirt) / L9aftan (Caftan), …etc.

The answer is Allah  y3tik  Sa7a.

Other phrases starting with “Bsa7a”

Bsa7a l7sana : You can say this to a man who just got hair cut.

Bsa7a tomobil jdida : If someone just got a new car.

Bsa7a lkhadma jdida : If someone just got a new job.

The answer for all the previous expressions starting with the word “Bsa7a” is also “Allah  y3tik  Sa7a”.

Expressions starting by “Mabrouk”

Mabrouk means Congratulation or Bless depending on the situation.

Mabrouk Naja7: You meet someone and he/she told you or you already know from his family members or anyone else that he passed an exam/ school year / Work competition.

“Naja7“ means Success and it comes from the standard Arabic ( النجاح ).

Mabrouk Zwaj: You can say this to someone who just got married.

Zwaj means Marriage and it comes from the Standard Arabic ( الزواج ).

Mabrouk Ziada: You can say this to parents of a newborn baby or even to the other members of their family.

In addition, you will hear the word ” Mabrouk ” many times before, during, and some days after the day of the Eid Al Adha or Eid AL Fitr feast :

Mabrouk L3id (you can also say: 3id Mobarak Sa3id): Blessed Celebration

Mabrouk L3wachr: Blessed Happy event.

The answer for Mabrouk L3id or Mabrouk L3wachr is: Allah ybark fik

Other versions of “Thank you=Chokran”

Version 1:

To say Chokran in a traditional way, you can also say:

Allah yr7am Lwalidin: May God has mercy on your parents.

The eventual answers :

Walidina w walidik: Our parents and your parents.

Bla jmil: it is like you say without compliment or without obliging.

Makaynch Mochkil: No problem (it is like you say: There is no problem).

Kayn: There is  ⇒  Makaynch: there is not.

NB: You may hear Moroccans saying just Makayn Mochkil.

Version 2: Baraka Allaho Fik

You can also say: 

Baraka Allaho Fik: May God bless you.

The answer is Allah ybarek Fik

You can also answer by Bla jmil or Makayn Mochkil.

Situation of Death, Sickness, and Sorry

Case of Death:

Lbaraka Frask (Addressing one person).

Lbaraka Fraskoum (Addressing two or more members of the family).

The answer may be Mamcha m3ak bas. 

The context: If you know that someone died and you can say this to his family members.

Case of Sickness:

Allah ychafik: May God heal you.

The answer: Amiiiine 

The context: to someone sick.

Special Cultural Context for “Sorry”:

7achak: it means “sorry” and is used before or after pronouncing a word considered as “dirty” in Moroccan culture: WC, donkey, pig, trash,…

For example :

7achak, fin kayna bit lma/toilette? : Sorry! where is the toilet?

/ Fin kaina bit lma/toilette? 7achak.