Days, months, and years in Moroccan Arabic

In this lesson, you will learn to talk about days, months, and years in Moroccan Arabic (with audio), and you will learn how to count them as well.

Days, Months, and Years in Moroccan Arabic

Week Days In Moroccan Arabic

Note: in Darija the days are used with the definite article, in written form, you may also write: tnin, tlat, larbe3, lkhmis, jem3a, sebt, lhed/l7ed (colored ones can not be used without the definite article)

If you’re familiar with Standard Arabic, you may notice that the weekdays aren’t very different from the Darija ones.

Months In Moroccan Arabic

In Morocco, you will hear people also say numbers instead of months, for example: shhar wahed (January, literally month one), shhar joj (February, literally month two), so it’s a good thing to keep in mind.

Lunar Calendar (Hijri)

It’s also useful to learn the Hijri calendar, just notice that in this case, we don’t use numbers to talk about them:

Note: you can practice what you’ve learned here, and learn how to pronounce each of the words in our Memrise course here, don’t know how to use the platform or sign up? we’ve got you covered in this easy-to-follow tutorial here.

Counting Days, Months, And Years In Darija

Counting Days In Darija

From 21 on, you will use numbers normally and add yom

Note: you may hear people also hear people say L instead of R (Tnashel yom instead of tnasher yom, for example)

Counting Months In Darija

Counting Years In Darija

Moroccan Arabic: Time Expressions Study Guide

Questions

1. What is notable about the use of the definite article with days of the week in Darija?
2. How are the months often referred to in casual Moroccan conversation? Provide an example.
3. What is the key difference between the Gregorian calendar months and the Hijri calendar months as they are referred to in Darija?
4. Provide the Darija terms for “one day,” “two days,” and “three days,” noting any patterns.
5. How do you express “21 days” in Darija?
6. What alternative pronunciation might you hear for the Darija word for “12 days”?
7. What is the pattern for counting months in Darija? Provide examples for three, four, and five months.
8. What is the Darija term for “year”?
9. Describe the pattern for counting years in Darija, providing examples for “three years,” “four years,” and “five years.”
10. How is the number “21” incorporated when expressing “21 years” in Darija?

Short Answer Key

1. In Darija, the definite article (equivalent to “the”) is used with days of the week, even if the day hasn’t been mentioned previously.
2. In casual Moroccan conversation, months are often referred to by their numerical order. For example, January is “shhar wahed” (month one) and February is “shhar joj” (month two).
3. Gregorian calendar months are referred to by their specific names in Darija (e.g., Yanayer, Febrayer), while Hijri months are not assigned numerical values in conversation (e.g., Muharram, Safar).
4. “One day” is “nhar/yom,” “two days” is “yomin,” and “three days” is “tlt yam.” The pattern involves a number combined with a variation of “day” (yam).
5. “21 days” in Darija is “wahed w3eshrin yom” (literally “one and twenty day”).
6. An alternative pronunciation for “12 days” in Darija is “tnashel yom,” replacing the “r” sound in “tnasher” with an “l.”
7. Counting months in Darija follows a pattern using a number and the word “shhor” (month): “tlt shhor” (three months), “rb3 shhor” (four months), “khms shhor” (five months).
8. The Darija term for “year” is “3am.”
9. The pattern for counting years in Darija combines a number with “snin” (years), for example: “tlt snin” (three years), “rb3 snin” (four years), “khms snin” (five years).
10. When expressing “21 years” in Darija, you use the structure “wahed w3eshrin” (one and twenty) followed by “3am” (year): “wahed w3eshrin 3am.”

Happy learning!

Oualid Cheddadi

Oualid Cheddadi is a language enthusiast who created Lingualid with the mission to inspire independent language learners worldwide, regardless of the language they are learning. The name “Lingualid” is derived from the Portuguese word for “language,” “língua,” and the last three letters of Oualid’s name, “Lid.”

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