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Learning Darijaالدارجة

Lesson 56 · B1

The job I applied for

“When I finished my degree, I sent my CV to ten companies to find a job I'd like.” One sentence, four pieces. You know them all; this lesson puts them together.

  • Combine relative, “that”, purpose, time, reason and condition clauses.
  • Keep each connector's verb form in a long sentence.
  • Talk about job hunting and contracts.
  • Read a job advert and contract clauses.
1

Twenty-four words

Work, from advert to contract. Many words are French: Moroccan offices work in both languages.

The company

  • الشّْرِكَة sh-sharika company
  • الْمُسْؤُولْ l-mas'ul manager; person in charge
  • الْمُوَظّْفْ l-muwaddaf employee

    Formal; on the street, khddam.

  • الْبُوسْطْ l-bust post; position

    French poste.

  • الْخْلَاصْ l-khlas salary
  • الْكُونْطْرَا l-kuntra contract

    French contrat.

Applying

  • السِّيفِي s-sivi CV; résumé

    French CV, said sivi.

  • الدِّيبْلُومْ d-diplom diploma; degree
  • التَّجْرِبَة t-tajriba experience
  • الْمُقَابْلَة l-muqabla interview
  • فَتْرَة التّْجْرِيبْ fatrat t-tajrib probation period

Work verbs

  • تْقَدّْمْ لْ tqeddem l to apply for

    Form V with l-.

  • تّْقْبَلْ ttqbel to be accepted

    Lesson 44's tt-.

  • خْدَّمْ khddem to employ; hire

    Form II of khdem: “make work”.

  • جَدّْدْ jedded to renew
  • سْتَقَالْ staqal to resign
  • طْرَدْ tred to fire; dismiss

Rights

  • الْكُونْجِي l-kunji paid leave

    French congé.

  • الضَّمَانْ الِاجْتِمَاعِي d-daman l-ijtima3i social security
  • السَّاعَاتْ الزَّايْدَة s-sa3at z-zayda overtime
  • الشّْهْرِيَّة sh-shehriya monthly pay

What kind

  • مَحْدُودْ ma7dud fixed-term

    “Limited”.

  • دَايْمْ daym permanent
  • مْطْلُوبْ mtlub required; wanted

    The ad word, lesson 14.

2

All together

Four long sentences. Each combines two or three connectors you know.

  1. الْبُوسْطْ لِّي تْقَدّْمْتْ لِيهْ مْطْلُوبْ فِيهْ جُوجْ سْنِينْ دْيَالْ التَّجْرِبَةl-bust lli tqeddemt lih mtlub fih juj snin dyal t-tajriba
  2. قَالُو لِيَّ بْلِّي إِلَا تّْقْبْلْتْ، غَادِي نْبْدَا الِاتْنِينْqalu liya belli ila ttqbelt, ghadi nbda l-etnin
  3. مْلِّي سَالِيتْ الدّْرَاسَة، صِيفْطْتْ السِّيفِي لْعَشْرَة دْ الشّْرِكَاتْ بَاشْ نْلْقَى خْدْمَةmlli salit d-drasa, sifett s-sivi l 3ashra d sh-sharikat bash nlqa khedma
  4. خْتَارُونِي حِيتْ كَنْهْضَرْ ثْلَاثْ دْ اللُّغَاتْkhtaruni 7it kanhder tlat d l-lughat

In the third, what form does the verb take after mlli? And after bash?

The rule

Nothing new: just combine what you know and keep each connector's form.

lli: any tense after it; returning pronoun after a preposition. Never dropped, unlike English “the job (that) I did”.

belli: original tense. Never dropped either, unlike “they said (that)”.

bash: verb without ka-.

mlli and ila: past.

7it: whatever fits.

Order is like English: main clause first, or the time clause first with a comma. mlli salit, sifett s-sivi bash nlqa khedma.

The pieces

SentenceSay itMeans
الْبُوسْطْ لِّي قُلْتْ لِيكْ عْلِيهْl-bust lli qolt lik 3lihthe job I told you about
قَالُو لِيَّ بْلِّي غَادِي يْعَيّْطُوqalu liya belli ghadi y3eyytuthey told me they'll call
صِيفْطْتْ السِّيفِي بَاشْ يْقْرَاوْهْsifett s-sivi bash yqrawhI sent the CV for them to read
مْلِّي سَالِيتْ الدّْرَاسَةmlli salit d-drasawhen I finished my studies
حِيتْ عَنْدِي التَّجْرِبَة7it 3endi t-tajribabecause I have experience
إِلَا تّْقْبْلْتْila ttqbeltif I get the job
الشّْرِكَة لِّي خْدَمْتْ فِيهَا قَالْتْ لِيَّ بْلِّي...sh-sharika lli khdemt fiha qalet liya belli...the company I worked for told me that...
مْلِّي تّْقْبْلْتْ، عَيّْطْتْ لْمّي بَاشْ نْقُولْ لِيهَاmlli ttqbelt, 3eyyett l mmi bash nqul lihawhen I got the job, I called my mother to tell her

Rows 1, 2, 7: English can drop “that”; Darija keeps lli and belli.

What English gives you, and what it costs

Free: clause order. Main clause and subordinate clauses sit in the same places.

Costly: dropped connectors. “The job I applied for”, “they said they'll call”: English drops “that”. Darija never drops lli or belli.

Costly: autopilot. In a long sentence you stop checking verb forms, and ka- after bash comes back.

Your mistake, not someone else's

Short sentences, no problem. In a long one, focused on content, the two classic slips arrive together.

×مْلِّي كَنْسَالِي، صِيفْطْتْ السِّيفِي بَاشْ كَنْلْقَى خْدْمَةPresent after mlli and ka- after bash.

✓مْلِّي سَالِيتْ، صِيفْطْتْ السِّيفِي بَاشْ نْلْقَى خْدْمَة“When I finished, I sent the CV to find work”.

And the missing lli: l-bust tqeddemt lih is English word order. l-bust lli tqeddemt lih.

3

Advert and contract

A job advert and four contract clauses, written for this lesson. The company is invented; the clauses are typical.

شْرِكَة «أَطْلَسْ لُوجِسْتِيكْ» كَتْقَلّْبْ عْلَى مْسَاعْدْ إِدَارِي

الْبُوسْطْ: فْالرّْبَاطْ، كُونْطْرَا مَحْدُودَة دْيَالْ عَامْ، قَابْلَة لْلتَّجْدِيدْ.

مْطْلُوبْ: دِيبْلُومْ بَاكْ+2، عَامْ دْيَالْ التَّجْرِبَة، وْ الْفْرَانْسِيَّة مْزْيَانَة.

لِّي بْغَا يْتْقَدّْمْ، يْصِيفْطْ السِّيفِي قْبَلْ 30 دْ هَادْ الشّْهَرْ.

Job advert

مْنْ الْكُونْطْرَا: الشُّرُوطْ

١. فَتْرَة التّْجْرِيبْ تْلَاتْ شْهُورْ. إِلَا مَا تّْقْبْلْشْ الْمُوَظّْفْ، الْكُونْطْرَا كَتْسَالَى بْلَا تْعْوِيضْ.

٢. الْمُوَظّْفْ لِّي خْدَمْ كْتَرْ مَنْ 44 سَاعَة فْالسِّيمَانَة كَيْتّْخَلّْصْ عْلَى السَّاعَاتْ الزَّايْدَة.

٣. الْكُونْجِي: يُومْ وْ نُصّْ عْلَى كُلّْ شْهَرْ دْيَالْ الْخْدْمَة.

٤. إِلَا بْغَا يْسْتَقَالْ، خَصُّو يْعْلْمْ الشّْرِكَة شْهَرْ قْبَلْ بَاشْ يْلْقَاوْ شِي وَاحْدْ فْبْلَاصْتُو.

From the contract: terms

Did you follow?

  1. What kind of contract is offered?

    Show answers

    Fixed-term, one year, renewable.

  2. What do they require?

    Show answers

    A two-year post-baccalaureate diploma, a year's experience and good French.

  3. What happens if you fail probation?

    Show answers

    The contract ends with no compensation.

  4. How much notice for resigning?

    Show answers

    A month, so they can find a replacement.

4

Check

Two here, three more in the B1 book.

Exercises 1 and 2 are here, with answers. Exercises 3 to 5 are in the B1 book, the PDF this site lives on: you can see the first item of each below.

1The connector

The one each sentence needs. No vowels.

ليبليباشمليحيت

  1. الشركة ___ خدمت فيها كبيرة
  2. قالو لي ___ الخلاص مزيان
  3. تعلمت الإنڭليزية ___ نلقى خدمة حسن
  4. ___ ساليت المقابلة، عيطت لختي
  5. ختاروه ___ عندو التجربة

2Put in order

Build each sentence. No vowels.

  1. تقدمتفالرباطالبوسطليهلي

  2. غدابليقالويعيطوليغادي

  3. يقراوهالسيفيباشصيفطت

3True or false?

According to the advert and contract.

  1. The job is in Rabat.

The rest is in the B1 book

3 more items, with the answers.

The B1 book

4Join them

Make one sentence out of the pieces.

  1. سَالِيتْ الدّْرَاسَة. صِيفْطْتْ السِّيفِي. بْغِيتْ نْلْقَى خْدْمَة.

The rest is in the B1 book

3 more items, with the answers.

The B1 book

5Your path

Tell your working or study life in five long sentences, with at least four different connectors.

لِّيبْلِّيبَاشْمْلِّيحِيتْإِلَا

The rest is in the B1 book

The B1 book
Show answers
1. The connectorلي · بلي · باش · ملي · حيت
2. Put in orderالبوسط لي تقدمت ليه فالرباط · قالو لي بلي غادي يعيطو غدا · صيفطت السيفي باش يقراوه

The B1 book: In preparation

Write and I will tell you the day it is out. One email, no list.

Tell me when it is out

I can now

  • Build sentences with several clauses.
  • Keep each connector's verb form.
  • Talk about job hunting.
  • Read an advert and a contract.