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Learning Darijaالدارجة

Lesson 76 · B2

True, but…

Should Darija be taught in school? In Morocco it's an old, serious argument. To follow it, and join in, you need the pieces of any debate: conceding a point, turning it round, giving reasons, wrapping up.

  • Concede without giving in: wakha, s7i7 blli.
  • Push back: bil3aks, mashi b7al hakka.
  • Reason and conclude: 7itash, 3la hadshi.
  • Follow a radio debate.
1

Twenty-four words

The first three families are the debater's toolkit. The rest, the topic: school and language.

Conceding

  • وَخَّا wakha although

    Before a clause. Alone, it's “OK”.

  • صْحِيحْ بْلِّي… وَلَكِنْ s7i7 blli… walakin it's true that… but
  • مَا كَنْنْكْرْشْ بْلِّي ma-kanenkersh blli I don't deny that
  • حْتَّى وْ إِلَا 7tta w ila even if

    For what hasn't happened.

Pushing back

  • بِالْعَكْسْ bil3aks on the contrary
  • مَاشِي بْحَالْ هَاكَّا mashi b7al hakka that's not how it is
  • غَلْطَانْ ghaltan wrong; mistaken
  • رَدّْ عْلَى redd 3la to answer; rebut

Reasoning and concluding

  • الدَّلِيلْ d-dalil proof; evidence
  • حِيتَاشْ 7itash because

    Variant of 7it.

  • عْلَى هَادْشِّي 3la hadshi that's why; so
  • يَعْنِي ya3ni I mean; that is
  • الْخُلَاصَة l-khulasa in short; conclusion

School

  • الْمَدْرَسَة l-madrasa school
  • التّْعْلِيمْ t-ta3lim education
  • التّْلَامِيدْ t-tlamid pupils
  • الْأُسْتَادْ l-ustad teacher
  • الْمُقَرَّرْ l-muqarrar curriculum
  • اللّْغَة الْأُمّْ l-lugha l-umm mother tongue

The debate

  • الضّْيْفْ d-dif guest
  • الْمُذِيعْ l-mudi3 presenter
  • الْمَوْضُوعْ l-mawdu3 topic
  • الْحُجَّة l-7ujja argument
  • قْنَعْ qne3 to convince; be convinced
2

Concede, rebut, conclude

Four lines from the debate. One concedes, one rebuts, one concludes. And the other?

  1. صْحِيحْ بْلِّي الدَّارِجَة مَا عَنْدْهَاشْ قَوَاعِدْ مَكْتُوبَة، وَلَكِنْ عَنْدْهَا قَوَاعِدْs7i7 blli d-darija ma-3endhash qawa3id mektuba, walakin 3endha qawa3id
  2. وَخَّا الدّْرَارِي كَيْهْضْرُوهَا، مَا كَيْعْرْفُوشْ يْكْتْبُوهَاwakha d-drari kayhedruha, ma-kay3erfush ykatbuha
  3. بِالْعَكْسْ، الدّْرِّي كَيْتْعْلّْمْ حْسَنْ بْلُغْتُوbil3aks, d-derri kayt3ellem 7sen b lughtu
  4. عْلَى هَادْشِّي كَنْقُولْ: نْبْدَاوْ بْالدَّارِجَة، وْ نْزِيدُو الْفُصْحَى3la hadshi kanqul: nbdaw b d-darija, u nzidu l-fus7a

What does wakha do in line 2? Is it the same wakha as “OK”?

The rule

Conceding: wakha + clause = “although”: wakha s3iba, kanbghiha. s7i7 blli… walakin… = “it's true that…, but…”. ma-kanenkersh blli = “I don't deny that”. For hypotheticals, 7tta w ila: “even if”.

Rebutting: bil3aks, “on the contrary”; mashi b7al hakka, “it's not like that”.

Reasoning: 7it, 7itash, d-dalil huwa…

Concluding: 3la hadshi, “that's why”; ya3ni; l-khulasa.

In careful speech, wakha is enough: no walakin needed in the second half. Casually you'll hear both.

Debate hinges

FormSay itMeans
وَخَّا صْعِيبَة، كَنْبْغِيهَاwakha s3iba, kanbghihaalthough it's hard, I like it
صْحِيحْ بْلِّي الْفُصْحَى مُهِمَّة، وَلَكِنْ…s7i7 blli l-fus7a muhimma, walakin…it's true Fusha matters, but…
مَا كَنْنْكْرْشْ بْلِّي كَايْنْ مُشْكِيلْma-kanenkersh blli kayn mushkilI don't deny there's a problem
حْتَّى وْ إِلَا قْرَاوْهَا، غَادِي يْحْتَاجُو الْفُصْحَى7tta w ila qrawha, ghadi y7taju l-fus7aeven if they study it, they'll need Fusha
بِالْعَكْسْ، الدَّارِجَة كَتْعَاوْنْbil3aks, d-darija kat3awenon the contrary, Darija helps
مَاشِي بْحَالْ هَاكَّاmashi b7al hakkathat's not how it is
عْلَى هَادْشِّي، خَصّْنَا نْبْدَاوْ بْالدَّارِجَة3la hadshi, khassna nbdaw b d-darijathat's why we should start with Darija
الْخُلَاصَة: جُوجْ لُغَاتْ، مَاشِي وَحْدَةl-khulasa: juj lughat, mashi we7dain short: two languages, not one

Row 1: wakha + clause = “although”.

What English gives you, and what it costs

Free: the whole toolkit maps one to one: although, it's true that… but, on the contrary, that's why.

Free: “although… but” is already frowned on in careful English. Same with wakha… walakin.

Costly: you know wakha as “OK”. Before a clause it means “although”: listen for what follows.

Your mistake, not someone else's

Talking fast, you double up the concession. It's understood, but in a formal debate the second marker is surplus.

×وَخَّا صْعِيبَة، وَلَكِنْ كَنْبْغِيهَاwakha… walakin, in careful speech.

✓وَخَّا صْعِيبَة، كَنْبْغِيهَا“Although it's hard, I like it”.

Don't mix up wakha “OK”, alone, with wakha + clause.

3

A radio debate

A debate written for this lesson: a radio show, two teachers, one question. The people are invented; the arguments are the ones you really hear in Morocco. Mark each concession and each rebuttal.

Did you follow?

  1. What is Nadia's position?

    Show answers

    Darija should come into school, because it's the language children arrive with.

  2. What does Karim concede?

    Show answers

    That the start is hard for children.

  3. What's his main objection?

    Show answers

    Darija has no single written form and changes from city to city.

  4. What does Nadia propose in the end?

    Show answers

    Start with Darija and add Fusha little by little.

4

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.

1Sort

Concedes or rebuts?

وَخَّابِالْعَكْسْصْحِيحْ بْلِّيمَاشِي بْحَالْ هَاكَّامَا كَنْنْكْرْشْغَلْطَانْحْتَّى وْ إِلَامَا كَنْتَّافْقْشْ

Concedes

Rebuts

2Fill the gap

With the hinge that fits.

وخابالعكسعلى هادشيحتى و إلا

  1. ___ غالية، شريتها
  2. ماشي صعيبة، ___، ساهلة بزاف
  3. كان مريض، ___ ما جاش
  4. ___ طاحت الشتا، غادي نمشي

3True or false?

According to the debate.

  1. Nadia is in favour.

The rest is in the B2 book

3 more items, with the answers.

The B2 book

4Link them

Join the two ideas with the hinge in brackets.

  1. صْعِيبَة. كَنْبْغِيهَا. (وَخَّا)

The rest is in the B2 book

3 more items, with the answers.

The B2 book

5Your argument

Defend a position in eight sentences: concede one point, rebut another, conclude.

صْحِيحْ بْلِّيوَلَكِنْوَخَّابِالْعَكْسْعْلَى هَادْشِّيالْخُلَاصَة

The rest is in the B2 book

The B2 book
Show answers
1. SortConcedes: وَخَّا · صْحِيحْ بْلِّي · مَا كَنْنْكْرْشْ · حْتَّى وْ إِلَا / Rebuts: بِالْعَكْسْ · مَاشِي بْحَالْ هَاكَّا · غَلْطَانْ · مَا كَنْتَّافْقْشْ
2. Fill the gapوخا · بالعكس · على هادشي · حتى و إلا

The B2 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

  • Concede with wakha and s7i7 blli.
  • Rebut with bil3aks.
  • Conclude with 3la hadshi and l-khulasa.
  • Follow a debate in Darija.