Learning Moroccan Darija can feel exciting, especially when you start connecting words to describe yourself, your family, and the world around you. After learning personal pronouns, the natural next step is understanding Moroccan Darija Possessive Adjectives. These words help you express ownership, relationships, and belonging in everyday life. For example, saying “my book”, “your car”, or “their house” becomes much easier once you know them.

In this lesson, we’ll explore what possessive adjectives are, how they work in Moroccan Darija, and how you can use them in real-life conversations.

What Are Possessive Adjectives?

In simple terms, possessive adjectives are words that show who owns something. In English, you already know them: my, your, his, her, our, their.

In Moroccan Darija, we use the word dyal + a pronoun to form the possessive. For example, Ktab = Book :

• ktab dyali → my book : My = Dyali
  
• ktab dyalk → your book : Your = Dyalk
  
• ktab dyalha → her book : Her = Dyalha
  

The structure is straightforward:

Noun + dyal + pronoun suffix = Possessive expression

This makes Moroccan Darija Possessive Adjectives easy to learn once you’ve memorized the pronouns.

List of Moroccan Darija Possessive Adjectives

Here’s a clear breakdown of the main forms you’ll need:

English	Darija	Example	Translation
My	dyali	ktab dyali	my book
Your (singular)	dyalk	ktab dyalk	your book
His	dyalou	ktab dyalou	his book
Her	dyalha	ktab dyalha	her book
Our	dyalna	ktab dyalna	our book
Your (plural)	dyalkom	ktab dyalkom	your (plural) book
Their	dyalhom	ktab dyalhom	their book

👉 Notice: There is no difference between masculine and feminine “your” in Moroccan Darija. Whether you are speaking to a man or a woman, you use dyalk.

Examples in Daily Life

Let’s see how these forms appear in natural situations:

• Hadi Tomobile dyali. → This is my car.
  
• Fin hia l-madrasa dyalk? → Where is your school?
  
• Hada l-beet dyalou. → This is his room.
  
• Had l-ktab dyalha. → This is her book.
  
• Dar dyalna kbira. → Our house is big.
  
• Fin dar dyalkom? → Where is your house?
  
• Tomobile dyalhom zwina bzaf. → Their car is very nice.
  

These phrases show that Moroccan Darija Possessive Adjectives are not only simple but also practical in everyday conversations.

How Possessive Adjectives Work with Different Nouns

In Darija, the noun usually comes first, followed by dyal + pronoun. Unlike English, where the possessive adjective comes before the noun (my book, her car), in Moroccan Darija the order is reversed:

Noun → dyal → pronoun

Examples:

• Dar dyali = my house
  
• Madrasa dyalk = your school
  
• Sadiq dyalou = his friend
  
• Sadiqa dyalha = her friend
  
• Maktab dyalna = our office
  
• Tomobile dyalkom = your (plural) car
  
• Oulad dyalhom = their children
  

This order is one of the main differences learners need to get used to, but once it becomes natural, building sentences gets much easier.

Everyday Conversations with Possessive Adjectives

To make things more practical, here are short dialogues that show how Moroccan Darija Possessive Adjectives are used:

Dialogue 1: Meeting a Friend

• A: Shno smitk? (What’s your name?)
  
• B: Smiti Youssef. W smitk? (My name is Youssef. And yours?)
  
• A: Smiti Hajar. (My name is Hajar.)
  

Here, we see smiti (my name), which comes from “smia dyali” and smitk, which comes from smia dyalk, but is often shortened in daily speech. But, saying smia dyali or smia dyalk are correct.

Dialogue 2: Talking About Belongings

• A: Hadi Tomobile dyalk? (Is this your car?)
  
• B: La, hadi Tomobile dyalou. (No, this is his car.)
  

Dialogue 3: Family Conversations

• A: Fin huma l-walidīn dyalkom? (Where are your parents?)
  
• B: Huma f l-madina. (They are in the city.)
  

Cultural Note: Direct vs. Polite Speech

In Moroccan culture, speaking politely is important. When talking to an elder, you may use dyalkom (plural “your”) instead of dyalk (singular “your”) to show respect, even if you’re speaking to only one person.

Example:

• Kayna moushkila f dar dyalkom. → There’s a problem in your house. (respectful form)
  

This shows that Moroccan Darija Possessive Adjectives not only help you build grammar but also navigate cultural interactions.

Now that you know how to use Moroccan Darija Possessive Adjectives, you can start applying them in real situations. For example, when you’re at the doctor or pharmacy, it’s important to explain clearly what belongs to you or what you feel. To help you with that, check out our article on essential Moroccan Darija healthcare phrases for practical expressions you can use when talking about your health.

Darija Possessive Adjectives Quiz

Common Mistakes to Avoid

When learning Moroccan Darija Possessive Adjectives, beginners sometimes make these mistakes:

1. Putting “dyal” before the noun
   ❌ dyali ktāb
   ✅ ktāb dyali
   
2. Forgetting plural forms
   Many learners overuse dyalk even when speaking to a group. Remember:
   
   • dyalk (your, singular)
     
   • dyalkom (your, plural)
     
3. Mixing with Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)
   In MSA, you would say kitabi (my book). In Darija, it’s ktab dyali. Keeping them separate will help you sound more natural when speaking with Moroccans.
   

Key Takeaways

• Moroccan Darija Possessive Adjectives are formed with dyal + pronoun suffix.
  
• Word order is noun → dyal → pronoun, not the same as English.
  
• No gender distinction for “your” → always dyalk.
  
• Use plural “your” (dyalkom) to be polite with elders or groups.
  
• Practice daily with objects around you: “phone dyali”, “table dyalk”, “window dyalna”.
  

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Conclusion

Mastering Moroccan Darija Possessive Adjectives is one of the first big steps toward expressing yourself clearly in daily conversations. With just a handful of words like dyali, dyalk, dyalou, dyalha, dyalna, dyalkom, dyalhom, you’ll be able to talk about your belongings, your family, and your relationships with ease.

👉 Keep practicing by describing everyday objects around you in Darija, and soon it will feel completely natural.

FAQs about Moroccan Darija Possessive Adjectives

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