How to Say How You Feel in Moroccan Darija

"How are you?" is the most common question in Morocco, and labas is only the beginning of the answer. This guide gives you the words Moroccans actually use for happy, sad, tired, angry, worried, excited and more, each with the Arabic script, a real sentence and a link to its dictionary page with free audio.

The Pattern: "Ana" + Feeling

Most feelings in Darija are adjectives, and the sentence is simply Ana (I) plus the adjective: Ana 3iyan, "I am tired". A woman adds -a: Ana fer7ana, "I am happy". To say "very", add bzaf; to say "a little", add shwiya.

Happy and Sad

• Happy — ferhan فرحان (feminine fer7ana فرحانة). Ana fer7an 7it jit l-Mghrib. — I am happy because I came to Morocco. (ferhan, fer7ana)
• To become happy, to rejoice — fre7 فرح. Fre7t mlli shftk. — I was happy when I saw you. (fre7)
• Sad — hzin حزين. Ana 7zin shwiya lyoum. — I am a little sad today. (hzin)
• To become sad — 7zen حزن. 7zen mlli sm3 lkhbar. — He became sad when he heard the news. (7zen)
• Fine, good, well — mzyan مزيان. Kolshi mzyan, l7amdolah. — Everything is fine, thank God. (mzyan)

Tired, Hungry, Thirsty

• Tired — 3iyan عيان. Ana 3iyan mn l-khdma. — I am tired from work. (3iyan)
• Hunger — jou3 جوع. Fiyya l-jou3; bghit nakol. — I am hungry; I want to eat. (jou3)
• Thirst — 3tech عطش. Fiyya l-3tsh; bghit lma. — I am thirsty; I want water. (3tech)
• Relaxed, comfortable — mrta7 مرتاح. Ana mrta7 f ddar. — I am relaxed at home. (mrta7)

Notice fiyya l-jou3, literally "hunger is in me": for hunger and thirst Moroccans say the feeling is "in" them rather than "I am hungry".

Angry, Upset, Worried

• Angry — ghadban غضبان. Huwa ghadban 7it t3ettelna. — He is angry because we were late. (ghadban)
• Worried, upset — m9elleq (also spelled mqell9) مقلق. Huwa m9elle9 7it t3ettel. — He is upset because he was late. (m9elleq)
• Stressed, tense — mtwetter متوتر. Ana mtwetter 9bel l-imti7an. — I am stressed before the exam. (mtwetter)
• Confused, distracted — mtshwwesh متشوش. Ana mtshwwesh w ma fhemtsh. — I am confused and I did not understand. (mtshwwesh)
• Afraid, scared — khayf خايف. Ana khayf mn lklab. — I am afraid of dogs. (khayf)
• Discouraged — m7bet محبط. Huwa m7bet 7it ma nje7sh. — He is discouraged because he did not pass. (m7bet)

Excited, Eager, Proud

• Excited, enthusiastic — mt7emmes متحمس. Ana mt7emmes bash nsafer. — I am excited to travel. (mt7emmes)
• Eager — mtshawq متشوق. Ana mtshwwe9 bash nt3llm ddarija. — I am eager to learn Darija. (mtshawq)
• Optimistic — mtfa2el متفائل. Ana mtfa2el b had lmashrou3. — I am optimistic about this project. (mtfa2el)
• Proud — fkhour فخور. Ana fkhour bik. — I am proud of you. (fkhour)
• Missing someone — twe7sh توحش. Twe7shtk bzaf. — I missed you a lot. (twe7sh)

Busy, In a Hurry, Patient

• Busy — mshghoul مشغول. Ana mshghoul b lkhdma daba. — I am busy with work now. (mshghoul)
• In a hurry — mst3jel مستعجل. Ana mst3jel, khasni nmshi daba. — I am in a hurry; I need to leave now. (mst3jel)
• Patient — saber صابر. Huwa saber m3a drari. — He is patient with the children. (saber)
• Kind, good — tayb طيب. Jddi rajel tayyeb. — My grandfather is a kind man. (tayb)
• Stubborn — 3nid عنيد. Had lweld 3nid bzaf. — This boy is very stubborn. (3nid)
• Crazy — 7me9 حمق. Hadchi 7me9! — This is crazy! (7me9)

Asking Someone How They Feel

Feelings in Darija – FAQs

How do you say "I am happy" in Moroccan Arabic?

A man says Ana fer7an (أنا فرحان); a woman says Ana fer7ana.

How do you say "I am tired" in Darija?

Ana 3iyan (أنا عيان). The 3 stands for the letter ع, a sound made deep in the throat.

How do you say "I miss you" in Darija?

Twe7shtk (توحشتك). Add bzaf for "a lot": Twe7shtk bzaf.

Practice and Next Steps

All of these words live in the emotions category of the dictionary, each with audio. Then describe your own day in the Moroccan Darija translator.