Why ‘despite everything’? Because I’ve already explained my view to you: it’s better to start by learning Standard Arabic.
But there may also be good reasons why you might want to start with Darija:
- the differences from Standard Arabic frustrate you: you manage to make yourself understood, but you, on the other hand, don’t understand much;
- your primary and essential aim is to understand everyday life in Morocco, interact with your in-laws, etc.; you are not interested in Arabic literature, the Qur’an or travelling elsewhere in the Arab world;
- You’re struggling to learn the Arabic alphabet and prefer Darija, which is often transcribed using the Latin alphabet with a few special characters to represent specifically Arabic sounds (an alphabet known as arabi or arabizi ( عَرَبِيزِي )
Darija … or ‘Darijas’
First of all, a clarification. Darija is an Arabic word ending in a ta marbuta, the feminine marker: الدارجة . It is therefore incorrect to refer to ‘the’ Darija as a masculine, as some French teachers do, no doubt due to the influence of Arabic genre. And this just goes to show why it is so important to learn the grammar of Standard Arabic!
However, there are several varieties of Darija. Historically, Darija emerged during the Arab conquests, from 680 to 708. As has been noted, Darija arose from the encounter between the Amazigh and the Arabic language. Then, between the 10th and 12th centuries, the invasions by the Banu Hilal were accompanied by a wave of Arabisation. A distinction is therefore drawn between the Darija spoken before and after the Banu Hilal.
Today, there are as many varieties of Darija as there are places in Morocco. The Darija spoken in Fez is not the same as that spoken in Casablanca or Agadir.
The differences between Arabic and Darija
The differences between Darija and Arabic deserve an article of their own. They fall into three categories:
Vocabulary
Influenced by Amazigh, Spanish (which began to find its way into Darija during the Al-Andalus period, and later during colonisation in the Rif and the far south) and French, the vocabulary of Darija often differs from that of Arabic. For example, ‘car’ is ‘tomobil’ rather than sayyāra ( سيارة ).
La prononciation
Short vowels often drop out, resulting in clusters of consonants. For example, the word for ‘book’, kitab ( كتاب ) in Arabic, becomes ktab in Darija.
The ث , th, becomes a t. Etc…
Grammar
It is greatly simplified in Darija. For example, the endings used to indicate case generally disappear in Darija. One would simply say al oueld (the boy), whereas in Arabic the forms are al waladou الولدُ in the nominative, al walada الولدَ in the accusative and al waladi الولدِ in the genitive.
A non-official, non-standardised language
For most Moroccans, Darija is not ‘proper Arabic’. It is not taught in schools; indeed, the inclusion of certain Darija words (such as ‘baghrir’ and ‘msemem’) in school textbooks even caused outrage amongst a number of people a few years ago. Unlike Arabic, its grammar has not been standardised.
However, in the 19th century, official documents were written in Darija, using the Arabic script. It is therefore only in more recent times that Darija has become a language that is not written down. Yet it has never had an ‘official’ grammar.
And this is often reflected in the explanations a Moroccan will give you: “You say that” – no ‘why’, no explanation…
Resources for learning Darija
So how do you learn Moroccan Darija once you’ve made up your mind? There are very few Darija courses available in Morocco (and even fewer abroad). In Morocco, the Instituto Cervantes offers courses in Tangier and Marrakesh, whilst in France, the Arab World Institute also runs courses.
Books for learning Darija
- The US Peace Corps training course, which is easy to find online and highly effective, has trained thousands of volunteers over the years;
- books such as Nicole Mermoud’s On peut tous apprendre l’arabe dialectal (We Can All Learn Dialectal Arabic), written by a Frenchwoman living in Essaouira – an excellent book, but one that is hard to find outside Morocco; and it is in French ;
- the various Assimil methods ;
- etc.
These books are written using a transliteration of Arabic, which is not always consistent. Their drawback is that they do not help you to speak or understand Darija.
Videos on YouTube
There are lots of YouTube channels, in French or English, designed to teach you Darija. In most cases, the videos are made by Moroccans. Some are quite educational, but it’s still a very passive process: you listen, you repeat, and you get no feedback on your accent.
Moroccans
If you’re in Morocco, chatting with Moroccans is a good way to improve your Moroccan Darija. But in my experience, most of them don’t have the patience or teaching skills to be good teachers. At least for me, as I always need to understand the ‘whys and wherefores’ and work out the underlying rule…
Online courses
Finally, there are websites that offer online courses. They’re well-structured, and you can get feedback on your accent (my pet peeve).
Once again, there are plenty of options. In my view, the criteria for choosing your course are as follows:
- Are the teachers Moroccan or simply Arabic speakers (the Lebanese accent, for example, is completely different)?
- Are the lessons face-to-face or in small groups (studying in a group can be more beneficial, but you might feel more comfortable one-to-one)?
- Is there a focus on speaking?
- Is Darija written in the Latin or Arabic script?
- What course materials are provided?
- Is it possible to have a trial lesson before committing?
Whatever you choose, I wish you the best of luck with learning Darija!
A typo or syntax error? You can select the text and hit Ctrl+Enter to send us a message. Thank you! If this post interested you, maybe you can also leave a comment. We'd love to exchange with you !
