Local Drinks

10 phrases · Moroccan Arabic (Darija) with romanization, English and audio

  1. أتاي

    atāy

    Moroccan tea

    Usage

    Sweet green tea with sugar and mint. It is the basis of hospitality, and it is polite to accept at least one glass.

    Grammar Note

    The Darija word, not French "thé". With mint it is أتاي بالنعناع.

  2. أتاي بالنعناع

    atāy b-n-nʿnāʿ

    Mint tea

    Usage

    Sweet green tea with fresh mint leaves, poured from a height into the glass to make foam.

    Grammar Note

    The prefix ب ("with") attaches to the next word. Composed from dictionary-verified words by regular grammar.

  3. شيبة

    shība

    Shiba (wormwood)

    Usage

    Wormwood added to tea in winter. It has a sharp bitter aroma and is said to be good for the throat.

    Grammar Note

    The dictionary meaning is "wormwood".

  4. قهوة

    qahwa

    Coffee

    Usage

    Coffee. In cafés the half-milk "nus-nus" is a standard order. The same word also means the café itself.

    Grammar Note

    Qahwa means both "coffee" and "coffee shop".

  5. نص نص

    nuṣṣ nuṣṣ

    Nus-nus (half coffee, half milk)

    Usage

    A common café order of half coffee and half milk. The name means "half, half".

    Grammar Note

    Nuṣṣ means "half"; saying it twice gives "half and half".

  6. عصير ديال ليمون

    ʿaṣīr dyāl līmūn

    Orange juice

    Usage

    Freshly squeezed orange juice, sold cheaply at street stalls such as those on Jemaa el-Fna.

    Grammar Note

    In Darija ليمون means "orange"; a lemon is حامض.

  7. عصير ديال لافوكا

    ʿaṣīr dyāl lavūka

    Avocado juice

    Usage

    A thick drink of avocado blended with milk and sugar, popular at juice bars.

    Grammar Note

    Lavūka comes from French "l'avocat". Composed from dictionary-verified words by regular grammar.

  8. حليب

    ḥlīb

    Milk

    Usage

    Milk. In cafés you can also order it hot.

    Grammar Note

    A noun naming the item. The spelling is checked against dictionaries, Wikipedia and DODa; said alone it works as the name.

  9. لبن

    leben

    Leben (fermented milk)

    Usage

    A tangy fermented milk left after butter-making, drunk at breakfast or with dates.

    Grammar Note

    The title used on the Darija Wikipedia. The spelling has other senses, so use it in a drink context.

  10. الما

    l-mā

    Water

    Usage

    Water. The word ما is also the negative particle in ما…ش.

    Grammar Note

    With the article it is read l-mā.

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