Language/Moroccan-arabic/Grammar/Questions

Moroccan Arabic Grammar - Questions

Hi Moroccan Arabic learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will explore the world of Moroccan Arabic questions. Asking questions is an essential part of learning and communication. We will discover how to form a question in Moroccan Arabic and learn about the different types of questions. And as always, we will spice up our lesson with cultural information and interesting facts.

Forming Questions in Moroccan Arabic

Asking questions in Moroccan Arabic is quite easy. All you need to do is add a question particle at the end of the sentence. The most common question particles in Moroccan Arabic are:

• Shin
• Wash
• Wach

Let's take a look at some examples:

Moroccan Arabic	Pronunciation	English
شحال داز لك؟	sh7al daz lk?	How much does it cost?
كتشري ولا ما كتشريش؟	ktchrri wla ma ktchrri7?	Are you buying it or not?
واش كاينتماش؟	wach kayntmash?	Aren't you coming?
غادي يوصل المطار شحال وقت؟	ghadi ywsl lm6ar sh7al wt?	What time will the plane arrive at the airport?

As you can see, forming questions in Moroccan Arabic is quite simple. Just add the appropriate question particle at the end of the sentence.

Different Types of Questions

There are different types of questions in Moroccan Arabic. The most common types are:

Yes/No Questions

Yes/No questions are questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no. In Moroccan Arabic, yes/no questions are formed by adding the question particle wach at the end of the sentence.

For example:

• كتشري ولا ما كتشريش؟ (ktchrri wla ma ktchrri7?) - Are you buying it or not?
• واش كاينتماش؟ (wach kayntmash?) - Aren't you coming?

Who/What/Where/When Questions

Who/What/Where/When questions are questions that require more information to answer. In Moroccan Arabic, who/what/where/when questions are formed by adding the question particle shin at the end of the sentence.

For example:

• شحال داز لك؟ (sh7al daz lk?) - How much does it cost?
• غادي يوصل المطار شحال وقت؟ (ghadi ywsl lm6ar sh7al wt?) - What time will the plane arrive at the airport?

Choice Questions

Choice questions are questions that offer a choice between two or more options. In Moroccan Arabic, choice questions are formed by adding the question particle wash at the end of the sentence.

For example:

• كتشري ولا ما كتشريش؟ (ktchrri wla ma ktchrri7?) - Are you buying it or not?

In the above example, the choice is between buying or not buying.

Cultural Information

In Moroccan culture, it is common to ask personal questions during conversations, even with people you have just met. Questions about age, marital status, and children are common. It is not considered impolite or invasive to ask these types of questions in Morocco. It is also customary to ask about someone's family and their well-being.

When greeting someone in Morocco, it is also common to ask ashnoo khbarak? (what's your news?) or labas alik? (how are you?). This shows that you are interested in the person and care about their well-being.

Dialogue

Here is a dialogue to help you understand questions in context. The dialogue is between Sara and Hicham.

• Sara: سلام عليكم، شحال داز البقلاوة ديالك؟ (salam 3likom, sh7al daz lbqaalwa dyalk?) – Hello, how much is your pastry?
• Hicham: درهم ونص (dhirham wnas) – One dirham and a half
• Sara: واش فيها لوز؟ (wach fihha lwz?) – Does it have almonds?
• Hicham: آه، فيها لوز محلي (aah, fihha lwz m7alli) – Yes, it has local almonds.
• Sara: كتبيع العيدان ولا كاين عندك؟ (ktbii3 l3iidaan wla kayn 3ndk?) – Do you sell incense sticks or do you have them?
• Hicham: عندي العيدان البخورية والعادية (3ndi l3iidaan lbkhouriya w l3aadiya) – I have both aromatic and regular incense sticks.

Sources

• Moroccan Arabic - Wikipedia
• Berber languages - Wikipedia
• Culture of Morocco - Wikipedia

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