Numbers in Moroccan Darija: Counting

Counting is one of the very first useful reflexes when you speak Moroccan Darija day to day. Whether you are haggling over a price at the souk, giving your phone number or setting the time of a meeting, numbers come up in almost every conversation. The good news: the Moroccan Darija counting system is regular once you get past the first twenty units, and the arabizi transcription (Latin script with digits) makes it accessible without knowing the Arabic alphabet. Let's see how to count from zero to a thousand, with pronunciation and the traps to avoid.

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Why numbers sit at the heart of everyday Darija

In Morocco, numbers shape daily life far more than you might expect. In a taxi, you announce the fare; at the market, you bargain down to the last dirham; in a café, you order "juj qahwa" (two coffees); and on the phone, you dictate your number one digit at a time. Moroccan Darija, the vernacular Arabic spoken by around 30 million people, has its own counting system, distinct from the Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) taught in school.

One interesting cultural point: many Moroccans, especially in urban areas like Casablanca or Rabat, also use French numbers for large prices or phone numbers. So you will sometimes hear a mix. But mastering numbers in Moroccan Darija instantly makes you more credible and keeps you from being caught off guard during a negotiation. It is also a mark of respect that opens doors and smiles.

The transcription used here is arabizi: digits replace the Arabic sounds that French and English lack. Above all, remember 3 = ع (a guttural sound, like an "a" pushed from the throat), 7 = ح (a strongly breathed "h") and 5 or kh = خ (like the Spanish "jota"). These three symbols appear often in the numbers.

Core vocabulary: counting from 0 to 10

Here are the building blocks. Learn them by heart: everything else hangs off them.

Notice that "two" is "juj" (sometimes "zuj") in Moroccan Darija, whereas in Standard Arabic you would say "ithnayn". This is one of the most striking differences. The "tes3oud" for nine can also be heard as "tes3a" depending on the region.

Tens, hundreds and thousands

Once 1 to 10 are secure, the numbers from 11 to 19 follow a recognizable pattern, and the tens become very regular.

From 11 to 19: you add the ending "-tach".

• 11: 7dach
• 12: tnach
• 13: tlettach
• 14: rbe3tach
• 15: khmestach
• 16: settach
• 17: sbe3tach
• 18: tmentach
• 19: tse3tach

The tens:

• 20: 3echrin
• 30: tlatin
• 40: reb3in
• 50: khamsin
• 60: settin
• 70: seb3in
• 80: tmanin
• 90: tes3in
• 100: mya

To build a number between the tens, you join the unit and the ten with "w" (and), placing the unit first: 21 is "wa7ed w 3echrin" (one and twenty), 35 is "khamsa w tlatin" (five and thirty), 48 is "tmenya w reb3in". The pattern is fully regular, which makes it easy to memorize.

Beyond that:

• 100: mya
• 200: myatayn
• 300: teltemya
• 1000: alf
• 2000: alfayn

So 150 is "mya w khamsin", and 1250 is "alf w myatayn w khamsin". You read from left to right, slipping "w" between the parts.

Counting objects: the agreement rule to know

Here is the real trap for learners. In Moroccan Darija, when you count objects from 3 to 10, the number changes shape slightly and the noun goes to the plural. The digit often drops its "-a" ending and gains a linking "-t".

Concrete examples:

• "tlata" (three, on its own) becomes "tlat snin" (three years)
• "reb3a" (four) becomes "reb3 swaye3" (four hours)
• "khamsa" (five) becomes "khams drahem" (five dirhams)

For 1 and 2 it is different: you often do not need the digit at all, because the singular and the dual are enough. "one coffee" is simply "qahwa wa7da" (the digit follows the noun), and "two coffees" is "juj qahwa". The word "juj" goes before the noun, and the noun stays singular.

From 11 on, the noun returns to the singular: "7dach 3am" (eleven years), "tnach derhem" (twelve dirhams). Many Moroccans sidestep the difficulty by using "dyal" (of): "khamsa dyal drahem" is perfectly correct and simpler for a beginner. Feel free to favor this turn of phrase at first.

A real case: bargaining at the souk

Picture a typical scene. You want to buy oranges (limoun) at a market in Marrakech.

• You: "Sse7bi, bcha7al hadchi?" (Friend, how much is this?)
• Seller: "3echrin derhem el kilo." (Twenty dirhams a kilo.)
• You: "Bezzaf! 3tini juj kilo b khamsa w tlatin." (Too much! Give me two kilos for thirty-five.)
• Seller: "La, reb3in." (No, forty.)
• You: "Tmenya w tlatin w safi." (Thirty-eight and that's it.)
• Seller: "Waddi, jib." (All right, hand it over.)

This little negotiation uses several numbers: 20, 2, 35, 40, 38. You can see how quickly the tens built with "w" come back. Practice saying them out loud, because fluency at the market always impresses and brings prices down more effectively than a long speech.

Another useful situation: giving your phone number. Moroccans usually dictate digit by digit: "seb3a, wa7ed, juj, sfer..." This avoids confusion and stays the easiest to understand. For the time, you would say "es-sa3a tlata" (it's three o'clock) or "tnach w noss" (half past twelve, literally twelve and a half).

Recap and common mistakes to avoid

Let's sum up the key points to remember:

• "two" is "juj" and goes before the noun, which stays singular;
• from 3 to 10, the counted noun goes plural and the digit takes a short form with "-t";
• compound tens are built as unit + "w" + ten ("khamsa w 3echrin" = 25);
• when in doubt, use "digit + dyal + noun", which is always accepted.

The most common beginner mistakes:

1. Saying "ithnayn" (Standard Arabic) instead of "juj". In Morocco, you say "juj".
2. Dropping the linking "w" in compound tens: "khamsa 3echrin" alone is not clear, say "khamsa w 3echrin".
3. Mispronouncing the 3 (ع) and the 7 (ح). These guttural sounds do not exist in English and take real listening practice. This is exactly where human audio makes all the difference.
4. Confusing "tes3oud" (9) and "tse3tach" (19) when spoken: the "-tach" ending always signals a number between 11 and 19.

Going further

Numbers stick through repetition and, above all, through listening. Because Moroccan Darija has sounds absent from English, reading the arabizi transcription is not enough: you need to hear a native speaker pronounce "3echra", "seb3in" or "myatayn" to tune your ear and your mouth. On Targumi, the Moroccan Darija lessons come with audio recorded by native speakers from central Morocco (the Casablanca / Rabat variant), so you can repeat with the right accent from the very start.

To make real progress, set yourself small, concrete goals: count your purchases out loud, tell the time in Moroccan Darija every morning, or dictate a fake phone number to practice. Combine this with numbers inside useful sentences ("3tini tlata", "bcha7al?") rather than reciting a cold list. Within a few days, counting in Moroccan Darija will become automatic, and you will approach your next markets, taxis and Moroccan cafés with brand-new confidence. Good luck, or as they say there: "Allah y3awnek!"

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