Common Tarifit words and phrases
A small excerpt from the Awar n Arif dictionary. Every word on this page comes from the app. Everything on this page is recorded there by a native speaker. The dictionary search also finds over 1,300 words and word forms. The app is free to download.
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Greetings & everyday phrases
| Hello | azul | ⴰⵣⵓⵍ |
| Thank you | cukran | ⵛⵓⴽⵔⴰⵏ |
| Yes | wah | ⵡⴰⵀ |
| No | lla | ⵍⵍⴰ |
| Please | ɛafak | ⵄⴰⴼⴰⴽ |
| You're welcome | ɛafuan | |
| Congratulations | mabruk | ⵎⴰⴱⵔⵓⴽ |
| Welcome! | Marḥba! | |
| Good morning | Sbaḥ lxir. | |
| How are you? | Mamec teǧiḍ? | |
| What's your name? | Mamec ḍac qqaren? | |
| My name is … | Qqarn-ayi … | |
| Goodbye | beslama | ⴱⴻⵙⵍⴰⵎⴰ |
| Good | mliḥ | ⵎⵍⵉⵃ |
| Thank God / I'm fine | lḥamdulillah | ⵍⵃⴰⵎⴷⵓⵍⵉⵍⵍⴰⵀ |
Two words are used for “thank you”. Cukran is what people say in the Rif every day. Tanmirt is a pan-Amazigh word that is finding its way back into everyday life, though you still rarely hear it on the street. In the app you learn cukran and find tanmirt as an alternative.
Love & family
| I love you (to a man) | Txseɣ cik. | |
| I love you (to a woman) | Txseɣ cim. | |
| I miss you (to a woman) | Twaḥceɣ-cem | |
| Mother | yemma | ⵢⴻⵎⵎⴰ |
| Father | baba | ⴱⴰⴱⴰ |
| Grandfather | jeddi | ⵊⴻⴷⴷⵉ |
| Friend | amdukr | ⴰⵎⴷⵓⴽⵔ |
Origin & practical phrases
| Where are you from? | Manis cik? | |
| I'm from Morocco | Nec zi meɣreb. | |
| I'm from Germany | Nec zi Alleman. | |
| How much does this cost? | Mcḥar iskua wanita? | |
| Airport | matar | ⵎⴰⵜⴰⵔ |
| Ticket | tawriqt | ⵜⴰⵡⵔⵉⵇⵜ |
| How much? | mcḥar | ⵎⵛⵃⴰⵔ |
| It is expensive. | iɣra | ⵉⵖⵔⴰ |
| Bathroom / toilet | bitlma | ⴱⵉⵜⵍⵎⴰ |
Food & drink
| Food / meal | makla / macca | ⵎⴰⴽⵍⴰ / ⵎⴰⵛⵛⴰ |
| Water | aman | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ |
| Bread | aɣrum | ⴰⵖⵔⵓⵎ |
| Tea | atay | ⴰⵜⴰⵢ |
Numbers in Tarifit come from Arabic.
I, you, he: the pronouns
| I | nec | ⵏⴻⵛ |
| you (m) | cik | ⵛⵉⴽ |
| you (f) | cim | ⵛⵉⵎ |
| he | nneta | ⵏⵏⴻⵜⴰ |
| she | nnetat | ⵏⵏⴻⵜⴰⵜ |
| we | nicin | ⵏⵉⵛⵉⵏ |
| you all (m) | kniw | ⴽⵉⵏⵉⵡ |
| you all (f) | knint | ⴽⵏⵉⵏⵜ |
| they (m) | nihne | ⵏⵉⵀⵏⴻ |
| they (f) | nihenti | ⵏⵉⵀⴻⵏⵜⵉ |
My, your, his: after the word
In Tarifit, “my” comes after the word: tadat ino means “my house”.
| my | ino | ⵉⵏⵓ |
| your (m) | nnec | ⵏⵏⴻⵛ |
| your (f) | nnem | ⵏⵏⴻⵎ |
| his/her | nnes | ⵏⵏⴻⵙ |
| our | nneɣ | ⵏⵏⴻⵖ |
| your (pl) | nnuem | ⵏⵏⵓⴻⵎ |
| their | nnsen | ⵏⵏⵙⴻⵏ |
Family: “my” is built in
For close family, “my, your, his” is part of the word itself: yemma is “my mother”, yemmac “your mother”.
| my mother | yemma | ⵢⴻⵎⵎⴰ |
| your mother | yemmac | ⵢⴻⵎⵎⴰⵛ |
| his/her mother | yemmas | ⵢⴻⵎⵎⴰⵙ |
| my son | Immi | ⵉⵎⵎⵉ |
| my daughter | iǧi | ⵉⴵⵉ |
| his/her father | babas | ⴱⴰⴱⴰⵙ |
| your brother (to m) | umac | ⵓⵎⴰⵛ |
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