One of the first lessons we prepared for you in order to kick-start your Moroccan Darija learning, is this one about Moroccan Arabic personal pronouns.

On this page, you will learn about the eight personal pronouns that exist in Moroccan Darija.

Next, you will learn how to make your first sentences in Moroccan Arabic using these personal pronouns in combination with either nouns and adjectives, or verbs.

And then, you can learn a little about the difference between personal pronouns in Modern Standard Arabic and in Moroccan Arabic.

And to conclude this lesson, you will find below an exercise to practice what you learned, as well as the solutions for it.

Moroccan Arabic Personal Pronouns

There are eight personal pronouns, also called subject pronouns, in Moroccan Arabic.

These pronouns are presented in the table below:

Using Moroccan Arabic Personal Pronouns with Names and Adjectives

You can now start making small sentences in Moroccan Arabic, with combinations of personal pronouns and names or adjectives.

In fact, just like Modern Standard Arabic, Moroccan Arabic does not require the use of an auxiliary verb (e.g. “to be”) for descriptive sentences*.*

Here are some examples of small descriptive sentences you can start building now in Moroccan Arabic:

– I am Fatima: Ana Fatima: أنا فاطمة

– He is sick: Howa mrid: هو مريض

– You are beautiful (masculine singular): Nta zwin: نتا زوين

(Find more Moroccan Arabic adjectives here).

– I am a doctor (feminine): Ana tebiba: أنا طبيبة

(Find more Moroccan Arabic jobs and occupations here).

Using Moroccan Arabic Personal Pronouns with Verbs

In Moroccan Arabic, personal pronouns can be omitted when using verbs, as the latter usually identify the subject.

For example, when one says “meshit”, it’s clear that the subject is “I”.

Also, when one says “meshina”, it’s obvious the verb refers to “we”.

Personal pronouns are sometimes coupled with verbs just to show emphasis.

Personal Pronouns in Moroccan Arabic Vs. Modern Standard Arabic

This note is addressed to those of you who studied or are studying Modern Standard Arabic, i.e. fos7a, and are comparing it with Moroccan Arabic.

There are two notable differences between personal pronouns in Modern Standard Arabic and Moroccan Arabic.

The first difference is that Moroccan Arabic lacks the dual personal pronouns that are used in Modern Standard Arabic.

In Moroccan Darija more than one person are simply considered a plural.

The second difference is that Moroccan Arabic has gender-neutral plural pronouns for “you” and “they”, while formal Arabic has distinct male and female plural pronouns.

As you saw in the table above, this gender-neutrality does not apply to the singular “you”, for which Moroccan Arabic has distinct male and female forms.

Moroccan Arabic Personal Pronouns Exercise

Now that you are familiar with personal pronouns in Moroccan Arabic, try saying the following English sentences in Moroccan Darija.

1. I am George.
2. You are Anna.
3. He is an engineer. (Tip: See the list of jobs and occupations in Moroccan Arabic)
4. Fatima is new. (Tip: See the list of adjectives in Moroccan Arabic, and the lesson about the feminine form in Moroccan Darija.)
5. You are Ahmed.
6. I am Cristina.
7. She is an accountant. (Tip: See the list of jobs and occupations in Moroccan Arabic, and the lesson about the feminine form in Moroccan Darija.)
8. They are monkeys. (Tip: See the list of animals, birds, and insects in Moroccan Darija)
9. We are men.
10. We are Jasmine and Mounir. (Tip: In Moroccan Arabic, “and” is “w”.)

When you are done with this exercise, you can scroll down for the solutions.

Moroccan Arabic Personal Pronouns Exercise Solution

1. I am George: Ana George: أنا دجورج
2. You are Anna: Nti Anna: نتي آنا
3. He is an engineer: Howa mohandis: هو مهندس
4. Fatima is new: Fatima jedida: فاطمة جديدة
5. You are Ahmed: Nta Ahmed: نتا أحمد
6. I am Cristina: Ana Cristina: أنا كريستينا
7. She is an accountant: Hia mo7asiba: هي محاسبة
8. They are monkeys: Houma qrouda: هوما قرودة
9. We are men: 7na rejal: حنا رجال
10. We are Jasmine and Mounir: 7na Jasmine w Mounir: حنا جاسمين ومنير

Are you ready to continue learning more Moroccan Darija?

You can continue with other Speak Moroccan material in “Moroccan Arabic – Unit 1”.

Or choose other Darija resources.

Come join us in the Speak Moroccan Forums for Moroccan Arabic exercises, free Moroccan Arabic-English translations, and much more.

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