Lesson 8 · A1
Counting at the stall
Ten numbers, and the small word that sits between the number and the thing you are counting. English has no slot for it, which is exactly why you will forget it.
- Count from one to ten without looking.
- Ask for one, two or five of something at a stall.
- Ask what something costs and understand the answer in dirhams.
- Put d- and the article where Darija wants them.
Eighteen words
Ten numbers and eight words for buying. Learn the numbers out loud and in order first: at a stall nobody waits while you work out what six is.
One to five
-
وَاحْدْ
wa7ed
one
Changes with the noun: wa7da for a feminine one. And it goes after the noun, like an adjective: kas wa7ed, “glass one”.
-
جُوجْ
juj
two
Nothing like “two” or the classical ithnan. Some regions say zuj; you will be understood either way.
- تْلَاتَة tlata three
-
رْبْعَة
rb3a
four
No vowel between r and b, then the ع. Say it slowly before you say it fast.
-
خَمْسَة
khamsa
five
The خ of l-khir again, the rasp you built in lesson 1.
Six to ten
- سْتَّة stta six
-
سْبْعَة
sb3a
seven
Careful with the digits: in transcription 7 is the letter ح. Written as a price, 7 is sb3a. Context tells you which.
- تْمَنْيَة tmenya eight
-
تْسْعُودْ
ts3ud
nine
The odd one out: it ends in -ud, not -a. Learn it as a block.
- عَشْرَة 3ashra ten
At the stall
-
بْشْحَالْ؟
bsh7al?
how much is it?
b- “for” plus sh7al “how much” from lesson 7. Point and say it: bsh7al had l-khobz?
-
دَرْهَمْ
derhem
dirham
Plural drahem. Everyday speech also uses drahem to mean “money” in general.
-
كِيلُو
kilu
kilo
Fruit and vegetables are sold by the kilo, not by the piece. The word never changes: juj kilu, khamsa kilu.
-
عْطِينِي
3tini
give me
The normal way to ask at a stall. It is not rude; add 3afak from lesson 6 and it is polite.
-
خُبْزَة
khobza
a loaf of bread
khobz is bread as a substance; khobza is one round loaf. English does the same with “bread” and “a loaf”.
-
لِيمُونْ
limun
oranges
Not lemons. In Morocco limun is the orange; the lemon is l-7amed. Ask for “limun” for a tagine and you get juice fruit.
A little, a lot
-
شْوِيَّة
shwiya
a little
Also “a bit, some”: shwiya d-l-limun, some oranges.
-
بْزَّافْ
bzzaf
a lot, very
Goes after what it describes: ghali bzzaf, very expensive.
Number, d-, noun
Four orders at a bakery. Read them and look at what sits between the number and the bread.
- عْطِينِي خُبْزَة وَحْدَة3tini khobza wa7da
- عْطِينِي جُوجْ دْ الْخُبْزَاتْ3tini juj d-l-khobzat
- عْطِينِي خَمْسَة دْ الْخُبْزَاتْ3tini khamsa d-l-khobzat
- بْشْحَالْ؟ عَشْرَة دْرَاهَمْbsh7al? 3ashra drahem
What changes between one loaf, two, and five?
The rule
One goes after the noun and agrees with it, like an adjective: khobza wa7da, “loaf one”.
Two to ten go before the noun, and between them comes d- plus the article, with the noun in the plural: juj d-l-khobzat, khamsa d-l-khobzat. Word for word, “two of the loaves”.
Money and measures skip the d-: khamsa drahem, juj kilu. What you buy by the kilo then takes d-: juj kilu d-l-limun.
Counting, one to ten
| Form | Say | Means |
|---|---|---|
| كَاسْ وَاحْدْ | kas wa7ed | one glass |
| خُبْزَة وَحْدَة | khobza wa7da | one loaf |
| جُوجْ دْ الْكِيسَانْ | juj d-l-kisan | two glasses |
| تْلَاتَة دْ الْكِيسَانْ | tlata d-l-kisan | three glasses |
| عَشْرَة دْ الْخُبْزَاتْ | 3ashra d-l-khobzat | ten loaves |
| خَمْسَة دْرَاهَمْ | khamsa drahem | five dirhams |
| جُوجْ كِيلُو | juj kilu | two kilos |
kas becomes kisan in the plural, a different shape rather than an added ending. You will meet many of these; for now learn the plural together with the singular.
What English hands you, and what it charges you
Free: you already put the noun in the plural after two. “Two loaf” sounds wrong to you, and it is wrong in Darija too.
Charged: the d-l- in the middle. English goes straight from number to noun, so your ear hears d-l- as a stumble and drops it. It is the nearest thing Darija has to “of the”: two of the loaves.
Charged: “one”. English “one” has no gender and goes first. Darija's goes last and agrees: kas wa7ed, khobza wa7da.
Your mistake, not someone else's
You translate “two loaves” word for word. The plural is right, the order is right, and the sentence still sounds like a phrasebook.
×جُوجْ خُبْزَاتْUnderstood, but nobody at the stall says it this way.
✓جُوجْ دْ الْخُبْزَاتْ“Two loaves.” Number, d-, the article, the plural.
And watch the one exception you will hear most: prices. tlata drahem, three dirhams, has no d-. If you add one there, you over-correct.
A price list and a receipt
The board of a small stall and the slip it gives you. The shop is invented; the format is what you see in any market. atay is tea, the mint tea served everywhere.
حَانُوتْ الْبَرَكَة
خُبْزَة · جُوجْ دْرَاهَمْ
كَاسْ دْ أَتَايْ · تْلَاتَة دْرَاهَمْ
كِيلُو دْ اللِّيمُونْ · خَمْسَة دْرَاهَمْ
خَمْسَة دْ الْخُبْزَاتْ
عَشْرَة دْرَاهَمْ
Did you follow it?
How much is one loaf?
Show answers
juj drahem, two dirhams. No d-: it is money.
The receipt says five loaves for ten dirhams. Does it add up?
Show answers
Yes. Five times two is ten: khamsa d-l-khobzat, 3ashra drahem.
What is sold by the kilo, and what fruit is it?
Show answers
l-limun, oranges. Not lemons.
How would you ask for two kilos of oranges?
Show answers
3tini juj kilu d-l-limun. No d- after the number, because kilo is a measure; then d- before the fruit.
Check
The rule is on the page above. These show whether you can use it without looking.
Exercises 1 and 2 are here, with answers. Exercises 3 to 5 are in the A1 book, the PDF this site lives on: you can see the first item of each below.
1Match
Pair each figure with its word.
| 1 | 7 | a | رْبْعَة |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 9 | b | سْبْعَة |
| 3 | 4 | c | جُوجْ |
| 4 | 2 | d | تْسْعُودْ |
2Pick the right one
Only one of the three counts the way Darija does.
- جُوجْ دْ الْكِيسَانْ
- جُوجْ الْكَاسْ
- جُوجْ كَاسْ
- خُبْزَة وَاحْدْ
- خُبْزَة وَحْدَة
- وَحْدَة خُبْزَة
- تْلَاتَة دْ الْخُبْزَة
- تْلَاتَة دْ الْخُبْزَاتْ
- تْلَاتَة خُبْزَة
3Change the number
Rewrite each one with the number in brackets. Watch out for money and kilos.
- كَاسْ وَاحْدْ (2)
4True or false
Read the Arabic and decide whether the sentence about it is true.
- لِيمُونْ This is the word for lemons.
5Write
You are at a stall. Greet, order two things in two different quantities, and ask the price.
عْطِينِيجُوجْكِيلُودْ الْخُبْزَاتْبْشْحَالْ
The rest is in the A1 book
The A1 bookShow answers
| 1. Match | 1-b, 2-d, 3-a, 4-c |
|---|---|
| 2. Pick the right one | 1-a, 2-b, 3-b |
The A1 book: In preparation
Write and I will tell you the day it is out. One email, no list.
I can now
- Count from one to ten in Darija.
- Order one loaf, two loaves or ten, with the d- in place.
- Ask “how much?” and understand a price in dirhams.
- Buy fruit by the kilo, and know that limun is not a lemon.