Darija lesson 82: a 3omri, my life

1

Twenty-four words

The first family: forms of address, street and song. The rest: music, film, and the Ramadan TV series.

Forms of address

آ خُويَا a khuya brother; hey (to a man)
يَا حْبِيبِي ya 7bibi my love; darling
With ya: song register.
آ عْمْرِي a 3omri my life
آ قَلْبِي a qelbi my heart
يَا الْغْزَالْ ya l-ghzal gazelle (to a beloved)
A classic of poetry.

Song

الْغْنَا l-ghna singing; song
الْكْلْمَاتْ l-kelmat lyrics
اللَّحْنْ l-la7n melody
الْمُغَنِّي l-mughanni singer
الْمَجْمُوعَة l-majmu3a band; group

Genres

الشَّعْبِي sh-sha3bi chaabi
Popular music of weddings and parties.
ݣْنَاوَة gnawa Gnawa
الْعَيْطَة l-3ayta aita
Sung poetry of the Atlantic plains.
الشّْيخَاتْ sh-shikhat the shikhat
Women aita singers.
الْݣَنْبْرِي l-genbri guembri
The Gnawa three-string lute.
الْمَلْحُونْ l-mal7un malhun
Craftsmen's poetry in Darija.

Screen

الْفِيلْمْ l-film film
الْمُسَلْسَلْ l-musalsal TV series
الْحَلْقَة l-7alqa episode
Also the storyteller's circle.
الْمُمَثّْلْ l-mumettil actor
رَمْضَانْ Ramadan Ramadan
Peak season for TV series.

Where you hear it

الْعْرْسْ l-3ers wedding
الْمَهْرَجَانْ l-mahrajan festival
الْحُقُوقْ l-7uquq rights (copyright)
Which is why there are no lyrics here.

2

A and ya: calling someone

Four sentences, each addressed to someone. With which particle?

آ خُويَا، شْحَالْ هَادِي مَا شْفْتْكْa khuya, sh7al hadi ma-sheftek
يَا الْغْزَالْ، فِينْ مْشِيتِي؟ya l-ghzal, fin mshiti?
آ عْمْرِي، رْجَعْ لِيَّاa 3omri, rje3 liyya
آ الدْرَارِي، سْكْتُو، بْدَا الْمُسَلْسَلْa d-drari, sketu, bda l-musalsal

When is it a and when ya? Who would you call a 3omri?

The rule

The vocative takes a particle: a in everyday Darija, ya in song, poetry and formal register.

a + noun, with or without the article: a khuya, a Karim, a r-rajel, a d-drari.

ya + noun: ya l-ghzal, ya 7bibi, ya rebbi.

Endearments with a possessive: a 3omri, a qelbi, a 3iniyya. Only for people you love.

After it, nearly always an imperative: rje3 liyya, sme3 liyya, ma-tmshish.

Calling and asking

Form	Say it	Means
آ خُويَا، سْمَعْ لِيَّا	a khuya, sme3 liyya	hey, brother, listen to me
آ الرَّاجْلْ، فِينْ غَادِي؟	a r-rajel, fin ghadi?	hey, you, where are you going?
يَا الْغْزَالْ، رْجَعْ لِيَّا	ya l-ghzal, rje3 liyya	gazelle, come back to me
آ عْمْرِي، مَا تْمْشِيشْ	a 3omri, ma-tmshish	my life, don't go
آ قَلْبِي، صْبَرْ	a qelbi, sber	my heart, be patient
آ لَالَّة، آ مِّي	a lalla, a mmi	madam; mother
آ الدْرَارِي، يَلَّاهْ	a d-drari, yallah	kids, come on
يَا رَبِّي	ya rebbi	oh God

Rows 3–5: song register. Row 2: street, a bit blunt.

What English gives you, and what it costs

Free: “my love”, “darling”, “sweetheart”: English endearments map closely. Same caution applies.

Free: “oh God” = ya rebbi.

Costly: the particle. English says “Karim, come here”; Darija, a Karim, aji. Don't drop the a.

Your mistake, not someone else's

You've learnt the endearments from songs and they slip out in the street. At the market, a khuya or a s-si.

×آ عْمْرِي، شْحَالْ هَادْ الْحُوتْ؟Intimate endearment to a stranger.

✓آ خُويَا، شْحَالْ هَادْ الْحُوتْ؟“Hey, how much is this fish?”.

As in Britain, older people may call you a wlidi or a bniti, “love”, “son”.

3

Five kinds of Moroccan music

Five fact sheets written for this lesson. No song lyrics are reproduced: they're under copyright. Look up recordings and listen for the forms of address.

الشَّعْبِي: الْغْنَا دْيَالْ الْأَعْرَاسْ وْ الْحَفْلَاتْ. كَيْشْطْحُو عْلِيهْ كُلّْ النَّاسْ.

Chaabi

ݣْنَاوَة: مُوسِيقَى رُوحِيَّة، أَصْلْهَا مْنْ إِفْرِيقْيَا جْنُوبْ الصّْحْرَا. الْآلَة دْيَالْهَا هِيَ الْݣَنْبْرِي. كُلّْ عَامْ كَايْنْ مَهْرَجَانْ كْبِيرْ فْالصّْوِيرَة.

Gnawa

الْعَيْطَة: شْعْرْ مْغْنِّي دْيَالْ الْعْرُوبِيَّة، بْحَالْ عَبْدَة وْ الشَّاوْيَة. كَيْغَنِّيوْهْ الشّْيخَاتْ.

Aita

الْمَلْحُونْ: شْعْرْ بْالدَّارِجَة، دْيَالْ الصّْنَايْعِيَّة فْفَاسْ وْ مْكْنَاسْ وْ مْرَّاكْشْ. الْقْصَايْدْ طْوَالْ.

Malhun

نَاسْ الْغِيوَانْ: مَجْمُوعَة مْنْ الْحَيّْ الْمُحَمَّدِي فْكَازَا، بْدَاتْ فْالسَّبْعِينَاتْ. خْلْطَاتْ التّْرَاثْ مْعَ الْكْلَامْ دْيَالْ الْيُومْ.

Nass El Ghiwane

Did you follow?

Where do you hear chaabi?
Show answers
At weddings and parties.
What's the Gnawa instrument?
Show answers
The guembri.
Who sings aita?
Show answers
The shikhat.
Where does Nass El Ghiwane come from?
Show answers
The Hay Mohammadi district of Casablanca, in the 1970s.

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.

1Match

Genre to what defines it.

1	الشَّعْبِي	a	الشّْيخَاتْ
2	ݣْنَاوَة	b	الْأَعْرَاسْ
3	الْعَيْطَة	c	الصّْنَايْعِيَّة
4	الْمَلْحُونْ	d	الْݣَنْبْرِي

2Sort

For anyone, or only for loved ones?

آ خُويَاآ عْمْرِيآ لَالَّةآ قَلْبِيآ السِّييَا الْغْزَالْآ الْحَاجّْيَا حْبِيبِي

For anyone

Intimate

3True or false?

According to the fact sheets.

Gnawa music has sub-Saharan origins.

The rest is in the B2 book

3 more items, with the answers.

The B2 book

4Call and ask

Following the clue in brackets.

خُويَا، سْمَعْ (نْدَا)

The rest is in the B2 book

3 more items, with the answers.

The B2 book

5Your music

In six sentences, say what music or series you like.

الْغْنَاالْمَجْمُوعَةالْمُسَلْسَلْكَيْعْجْبْنِيكَنْسْمَعْ

The rest is in the B2 book

The B2 book

Show answers

1. Match	1-b, 2-d, 3-a, 4-c
2. Sort	For anyone: آ خُويَا · آ لَالَّة · آ السِّي · آ الْحَاجّْ / Intimate: آ عْمْرِي · آ قَلْبِي · يَا الْغْزَالْ · يَا حْبِيبِي

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

Address someone with a and ya.
Tell street forms of address from song ones.
Name five kinds of Moroccan music.
Talk about what I listen to and watch.