Lesson 71 · B2
The sixth time
Morocco counts its people every ten years. The 2014 census was the sixth, reached “some” 98.62 per cent of residents and left figures to argue over: how many read, how many work. To read them you need sixth, a third, per cent and “roughly”.
- Put ordinals after the noun.
- Say fractions and percentages.
- Approximate: shi, 7wali, taqriban.
- Read a fact sheet in Darija.
Twenty-four words
Ordinals, fractions, approximations and census vocabulary. Several statistics words come from Fusha.
Ordinals
-
اللُّوّْلْ
l-luwwel
first
Can also go first: luwwel merra.
- التَّانِي t-tani second
- التَّالْتْ t-talet third
- الْخَامْسْ l-khames fifth
- السَّادْسْ s-sades sixth
- اللَّخْرْ l-lekher last
Fractions
- النُّصّْ n-nuss half
- الثُّلُثْ t-tulut third (fraction)
- الرّْبَعْ r-rbe3 quarter
-
ثُلُثَيْنْ
tultayn
two thirds
Dual.
-
فْالْمِيَّة
f l-miyya
per cent
“In the hundred”.
Approximating
- حْوَالِي 7wali around; about
- تَقْرِيبًا taqriban approximately
- قْرِيبْ لْ qrib l close to
-
شِي
shi
some; about
Before a number: “some”.
The census
- الْإِحْصَاءْ l-i7sa' census; statistics
- النِّسْبَة n-nisba rate; percentage
- الْعَدَدْ l-3adad number; figure
- الْأُمِّيَّة l-ummiyya illiteracy
- الْبَطَالَة l-batala unemployment
- النَّشِيطِينْ n-nashitin the economically active
Trends
- طْلَعْ tla3 to rise
- نْزَلْ nzel to fall
- تْضَاعْفْ tda3ef to double
Sixths, thirds and “some”
Four sentences about the census. Look at where the ordinal goes and how “some” is said.
- كَانْتْ هَادِي الْمَرَّة السَّادْسَة اللِّي تّْدَارْ فِيهَا الْإِحْصَاءْkanet hadi l-merra s-sadsa lli ttdar fiha l-i7sa'
- الْإِحْصَاءْ كَيْتّْدَارْ مَرَّة كُلّْ عْشْرْ سْنِينْl-i7sa' kayttdar merra koll 3sher snin
- وْصْلُو لْشِي تْمَنْيَة وْ تْسْعِينْ فْالْمِيَّة مْنْ السّْكَّانْweslu l shi tmenya u tes3in f l-miyya men s-sukkan
- النُّصّْ تَقْرِيبًا دْيَالْ النَّاسْ نَشِيطِينْn-nuss taqriban dyal n-nas nashitin
Does s-sadsa come before or after merra? What does shi do before the number?
The rule
Ordinals: after the noun, with the article, agreeing: l-merra s-sadsa, n-nhar t-tani. Only luwwel can go first, with no article: luwwel merra.
Fractions: nuss, tulut, rbe3, in iḍāfa with what they divide: tulut s-sukkan. Two thirds, dual: tultayn.
Percentages: number + f l-miyya. The decimal comma is read fasla.
Approximating: shi + number (some), 7wali, taqriban, qrib l, kter men / qell men.
Frequency: merra koll 3sher snin.
Talking in figures
| Form | Say it | Means |
|---|---|---|
| الْمَرَّة السَّادْسَة | l-merra s-sadsa | the sixth time |
| لُوّْلْ مَرَّة | luwwel merra | the first time |
| النّْهَارْ التَّانِي | n-nhar t-tani | the second day |
| ثُلُثْ السّْكَّانْ | tulut s-sukkan | a third of the population |
| وَاحْدْ وْ عْشْرِينْ فَاصْلَة رْبْعَة فْالْمِيَّة | wa7ed u 3shrin fasla reb3a f l-miyya | 21.4 per cent |
| شِي تْمَنْيَة وْ تْسْعِينْ فْالْمِيَّة | shi tmenya u tes3in f l-miyya | some 98 per cent |
| مَرَّة كُلّْ عْشْرْ سْنِينْ | merra koll 3sher snin | once every ten years |
| كْثَرْ مْنْ النُّصّْ بْشْوِيَّة | kter men n-nuss b shwiyya | a little over half |
Row 5: Morocco writes 21,4 with a comma, read fasla.
What English gives you, and what it costs
Free: “some twenty people” = shi 3shrin wa7ed. shi does what “some” does before a number.
Free: “once every ten years” = merra koll 3sher snin, word for word.
Costly: “the sixth time”. The ordinal moves after the noun and takes its own article: “the time the sixth”.
Costly: the decimal comma: 21,4, not 21.4.
Your mistake, not someone else's
You put the ordinal first, English-style. Only luwwel can go there.
×السَّادْسَة مَرَّةOrdinal first, with article.
✓الْمَرَّة السَّادْسَة“The sixth time”.
It agrees: n-nhar t-tani, l-merra t-tanya.
The 2014 census
Two real extracts from Darija Wikipedia: the article on the 2014 census and Chefchaouen's fact sheet. Figures are from Morocco's High Commission for Planning. Original spelling kept.
لْإِحْصَاءْ لْعَامْ دْيَالْ السّْكَّانْ فْ 2014 فْ لْمْغْرِيبْ كَانَتْ هِيَ لْمَرَّة السَّادْسَة لِلِّي تَايْتْحْسْبُو شْحَالْ لْعَدَدْ دْيَالْ السّْكَّانْ، مَا بِينْ 1 وْ 20 شْتَنْبْرْ فْ عَامْ 2014.
هَادْ لْحْسَابْ تَايْتّْدَارْ مَرَّة كْلَا عْشْرْ سْنِينْ مْنْ عَنْدْ لَجْنَة دْيَالْ لْمَنْدُوبِيَّة سَامْيَة دْ تّْخْطِيطْ.
هَادْ اللَّجْنَة قْدْرَاتْ تْوْصَلْ لْ شِي 98,62 % مْنْ سُكَّانْ دْيَالْ لْمْغْرِيبْ.
شَفْشَاوَنْ: سَاكْنِينْ فِيهَا 42577 وَاحْدْ، عْلَى حْسَابْ لْإِحْصَاءْ لْعَامْ 2014.
نِسْبَة لْأُمِّيَّة (نّْاسْ لِّي مَا كَايْعْرْفُوشْ يْقْرَاوْ وْلَا يْكْتْبُو): 21,4%
نِسْبَة نّْاسْ نّْشِيطِينْ (لِّي يْقْدْرُو يْخْدْمُو): 50,2%
نِسْبَة لْبَطَالَة (نّْاسْ لِّي مَا خْدَّامِينْشْ وْ تَايْقَلّْبُو عْلَى خْدْمَة): 19,7%
«لإحصاء لعام 2014 ف لمغريب» y «شفشاون», Wikipedia en darija (ary.wikipedia.org), autores de Wikipedia; cifras del Haut-Commissariat au Plan. Extractos; vocalización de Learning Darija · CC BY-SA 4.0
Did you follow?
Which census number was 2014?
Show answers
The sixth.
How often is it held?
Show answers
Once every ten years.
What share of the population did it reach?
Show answers
Some 98.62 per cent.
What's the unemployment rate in Chefchaouen?
Show answers
19.7 per cent.
Check
Two here, three more in the B2 book.
Exercises 1 and 2 are here, with answers. Exercises 3 to 5 are in the B2 book, the PDF this site lives on: you can see the first item of each below.
1Match
Symbol to word.
| 1 | ½ | a | الرّْبَعْ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | ⅓ | b | النُّصّْ |
| 3 | ¼ | c | ثُلُثَيْنْ |
| 4 | ⅔ | d | الثُّلُثْ |
| 5 | % | e | فْالْمِيَّة |
2In figures
Build the phrase with the number in brackets.
- مَرَّة (6)
- النّْهَارْ (2)
- السّْكَّانْ (⅓)
- 50% (تَقْرِيبًا)
3True or false?
According to both texts.
- The 2014 census was the sixth.
4Fill the gap
With an ordinal, fraction or approximation.
شيكلالتالتالنص
- جاو ___ عشرين واحد
5Your town in figures
Describe your town in six sentences using percentages, fractions and approximations.
فْالْمِيَّةالنُّصّْتَقْرِيبًاشِيالْمَرَّة
The rest is in the B2 book
The B2 bookShow answers
| 1. Match | 1-b, 2-d, 3-a, 4-c, 5-e |
|---|---|
| 2. In figures | الْمَرَّة السَّادْسَة · النّْهَارْ التَّانِي · ثُلُثْ السّْكَّانْ · تَقْرِيبًا النُّصّْ |
The B2 book: In preparation
Write and I will tell you the day it is out. One email, no list.
I can now
- Put the ordinal after: l-merra s-sadsa.
- Say fractions and percentages.
- Approximate with shi and taqriban.
- Read a fact sheet.