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Learning Darijaالدارجة

Lesson 91 · C1

The right to remain silent

For interpreters, caseworkers and lawyers working with Moroccans, and for anyone who may need to stand up for themselves in Morocco. Rights, obligations, prohibitions, and the vocabulary of the police station, the court and immigration. The reference text: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in Arabic.

  • Express rights, obligations and prohibitions.
  • Describe a procedure with tt-.
  • Ask for an interpreter and for clarification.
  • Read articles of the Universal Declaration.
1

Twenty-four words

Legal modality, the police, the court, immigration, and the values of the Declaration.

Rights and duties

  • مْنْ حَقّْكْ men 7eqqek you have the right to

    + bare verb.

  • مْلْزُومْ بْ mlzum b obliged to; required to
  • مَمْنُوعْ mamnu3 forbidden; no …

    + action noun: mamnu3 t-teswir, no photos.

  • مَا يْحَقّْلَاكْشْ ma-y7eqqlaksh you're not allowed to
  • الْقَانُونْ l-qanun the law

The police

  • الْبُولِيسْ l-bolis police
  • الْكُومِيسَارِيَّة l-komisariyya police station

    From French.

  • تّْشَدّْ ttshedd to be arrested

    tt- from shedd, to grab.

  • الْمَحْضَرْ l-ma7dar police report; statement
  • الشّْكَايَة sh-shkaya complaint (legal)

The court

  • الْمَحْكَمَة l-ma7kama court
  • الْمُحَامِي l-mu7ami lawyer
  • الْمُتَّهَمْ l-muttaham the accused
  • بْرِيءْ bri' innocent
  • الْحُكْمْ l-7ukm verdict; sentence
  • التَّرْجْمَانْ t-terjman interpreter

Immigration

  • الْإِقَامَة l-iqama residence permit
  • الْفِيزَا l-viza visa
  • اللُّجُوءْ l-luju' asylum
  • اللَّاجِئْ l-laji' refugee
  • الْحُدُودْ l-7udud border

Values

  • الْكَرَامَة l-karama dignity
  • الْحُرِّيَّة l-7urriyya freedom
  • تَعَسُّفِي ta3assufi arbitrary

    Formal.

2

Rights, duties and prohibitions

Four lines from a police station and a court. Find “you have the right”, “nobody may” and “was arrested”.

  1. مْنْ حَقّْكْ تْكُونْ عَنْدْكْ مُحَامِيmen 7eqqek tkun 3ndek mu7ami
  2. كُلّْ مُتَّهَمْ بْرِيءْ حْتَّى تّْثْبَتْ الْإِدَانَة دْيَالُوkoll muttaham bri' 7tta ttthbet l-idana dyalu
  3. مَا يْحَقّْ لْحْتَّى وَاحْدْ يْشْدّْكْ بْلَا سْبَبْma-y7eqq l 7tta wa7ed ysheddek bla sbab
  4. بْغِيتْ تَرْجْمَانْ، مَا كَنْفْهَمْشْ مْزْيَانْbghit terjman, ma-kanfhemsh mzyan

Does the verb after men 7eqqek take ka-? Who does the arresting in ttshedd?

The rule

Rights: men 7eqqek + bare verb: men 7eqqek tesket. Question: wash men 7eqqi n…? Also 3ndek l-7eqq f + noun.

Obligation: khassek (lesson 30), or more formally mlzum b + noun: mlzum b l-7udur.

Prohibition: mamnu3 + action noun (mamnu3 t-teswir); personal: ma-y7eqqlaksh t…

Procedure: tt- with no agent, because what matters is what happened to you: ttshedd, ttsre7 (was released), ttrjem.

Asking for help: bghit terjman; 3awed 3afak b shwiyya.

At the police station

FormSay itMeans
مْنْ حَقّْكْ تْسْكُتْmen 7eqqek tesketyou have the right to remain silent
مْنْ حَقّْكْ تْطْلَبْ تَرْجْمَانْmen 7eqqek tetleb terjmanyou have the right to ask for an interpreter
وَاشْ مْنْ حَقّْي نْعَيّْطْ لْلْمُحَامِي؟wash men 7eqqi n3eyyet l l-mu7ami?do I have the right to call a lawyer?
نْتَا مْلْزُومْ بْالْحُضُورْnta mlzum b l-7uduryou're required to appear
مَمْنُوعْ التّْصْوِيرْmamnu3 t-teswirno photography
مَا يْحَقّْلَاكْشْ تْخْرُجْ مْنْ الْبْلَادْma-y7eqqlaksh tkhruj men l-bladyou're not allowed to leave the country
تّْشَدّْ الْبَارَحْ وْ تّْسْرَحْ الْيُومْttshedd l-bare7 u ttsre7 l-yumhe was arrested yesterday and released today
مَا فْهَمْتْشْ، عَاوْدْ عَافَاكْ بْشْوِيَّةma-fhemtsh, 3awed 3afak b shwiyyaI didn't understand, please repeat slowly

Row 7: two tt- passives, no mention of the police.

What English gives you, and what it costs

Free: “you have the right to”, “you're required to”, “no smoking”: parallel structures.

Free: “he was arrested” without “by whom”: English legal language drops the agent too.

Costly: “to” + infinitive has no Darija match. Use the bare conjugated verb: tesket.

Your mistake, not someone else's

After men 7eqqek you use the ka- present, which sounds like “you have the right: you speak”.

×مْنْ حَقّْكْ كَتْهْضَرْka- after men 7eqqek.

✓مْنْ حَقّْكْ تْهْضَرْ“You have the right to speak”.

Same as after khass, bash, yemken.

3

The Universal Declaration

Five articles from the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in the official Arabic version. This is legal Fusha: notice how it expresses rights (ya7iqqu, li… al-7aqq) and prohibitions (la yajuzu).

الْمَادَّةُ 1: يُولَدُ جَمِيعُ النَّاسِ أَحْرَارًا مُتَسَاوِينَ فِي الْكَرَامَةِ وَالْحُقُوقِ. وَقَدْ وُهِبُوا عَقْلًا وَضَمِيرًا، وَعَلَيْهِمْ أَنْ يُعَامِلَ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا بِرُوحِ الْإِخَاءِ.

الْمَادَّةُ 9: لَا يَجُوزُ الْقَبْضُ عَلَى أَيِّ إِنْسَانٍ أَوْ حَجْزُهُ أَوْ نَفْيُهُ تَعَسُّفًا.

الْمَادَّةُ 11 (1): كُلُّ شَخْصٍ مُتَّهَمٍ بِجَرِيمَةٍ يُعْتَبَرُ بَرِيئًا إِلَى أَنْ تَثْبُتَ إِدَانَتُهُ قَانُونًا بِمُحَاكَمَةٍ عَلَنِيَّةٍ تُؤَمَّنُ لَهُ فِيهَا الضَّمَانَاتُ الضَّرُورِيَّةُ لِلدِّفَاعِ عَنْهُ.

الْمَادَّةُ 13 (2): يَحِقُّ لِكُلِّ فَرْدٍ أَنْ يُغَادِرَ أَيَّةَ بِلَادٍ، بِمَا فِي ذٰلِكَ بَلَدُهُ، كَمَا يَحِقُّ لَهُ الْعَوْدَةُ إِلَيْهِ.

الْمَادَّةُ 14 (1): لِكُلِّ فَرْدٍ الْحَقُّ أَنْ يَلْجَأَ إِلَى بِلَادٍ أُخْرَى، أَوْ يُحَاوِلَ الِالْتِجَاءَ إِلَيْهَا، هَرَبًا مِنَ الِاضْطِهَادِ.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (extract)

Naciones Unidas, Declaración Universal de Derechos Humanos (1948), versión árabe, arts. 1, 9, 11.1, 13.2 y 14.1. Texto de ar.wikisource.org; reproducción libre. Vocalización de Learning Darija · dominio público

Did you follow?

  1. What does Article 1 say?

    Show answers

    All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

  2. What does Article 9 forbid?

    Show answers

    Arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

  3. Until when is the accused presumed innocent?

    Show answers

    Until proved guilty in a public trial with guarantees.

  4. What right does Article 14 give?

    Show answers

    To seek asylum in other countries from persecution.

4

Check

Two here, three more in the C1 book.

Exercises 1 and 2 are here, with answers. Exercises 3 to 5 are in the C1 book, the PDF this site lives on: you can see the first item of each below.

1Sort

Right or prohibition?

مْنْ حَقّْكْ تْسْكُتْمَمْنُوعْ التّْصْوِيرْمْنْ حَقّْكْ تْطْلَبْ تَرْجْمَانْمَا يْحَقّْلَاكْشْ تْخْرُجْعَنْدْكْ الْحَقّْ فْمُحَامِيمَمْنُوعْ الدُّخُولْ

Right

Prohibition

2Transform

Using the structure in brackets.

  1. تْهْضَرْ مْعَ مُحَامِي (حَقّْ)
  2. تْصَوّْرْ (مَمْنُوعْ)
  3. شَدُّوهْ الْبَارَحْ (تّْ-)
  4. تْحْضَرْ لْلْمَحْكَمَة (مْلْزُومْ)

3True or false?

According to the Declaration.

  1. Everyone is born equal in dignity and rights.

The rest is in the C1 book

3 more items, with the answers.

The C1 book

4Fill the gap

With the legal term.

ترجمانبريءالمحضراللجوء

  1. ما كنفهمش الدارجة مزيان، بغيت ___

The rest is in the C1 book

3 more items, with the answers.

The C1 book

5At the station

Write an eight-line police-station dialogue: rights, interpreter, statement.

مْنْ حَقّْكْمْلْزُومْ بْتَرْجْمَانْالْمَحْضَرْعَاوْدْ عَافَاكْ

The rest is in the C1 book

The C1 book
Show answers
1. SortRight: مْنْ حَقّْكْ تْسْكُتْ · مْنْ حَقّْكْ تْطْلَبْ تَرْجْمَانْ · عَنْدْكْ الْحَقّْ فْمُحَامِي / Prohibition: مَمْنُوعْ التّْصْوِيرْ · مَا يْحَقّْلَاكْشْ تْخْرُجْ · مَمْنُوعْ الدُّخُولْ
2. Transformمْنْ حَقّْكْ تْهْضَرْ مْعَ مُحَامِي · مَمْنُوعْ التّْصْوِيرْ · تّْشَدّْ الْبَارَحْ · نْتَا مْلْزُومْ بْالْحُضُورْ لْلْمَحْكَمَة

The C1 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

  • State rights with men 7eqqek.
  • State duties and prohibitions.
  • Describe a procedure with tt-.
  • Ask for an interpreter and clarification.