Learn how to ask for particular things at a hotel
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| INTRODUCTION |
| ArabicPod101.com presents Arabic Survival Phrases. This course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Arabic speaking countries, with particular focus on Morocco. So join us for Arabic Survival phrases. You will be surprised at how far a little Arabic will go. |
| Now before we jump in, remember to stop by ArabicPod101.com, there you’ll find an accompanying PDF, additional learning tools in the premium learning center, and other great Arabic language learning materials. In addition, you’ll find more information in the post. And if you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. |
Lesson focus |
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| Finding a place to stay in Morocco shouldn't be a problem at all. All major cities offer a wide selection of accommodations ranging from top class hotels to basic budget accommodation. In today's lesson, we'll introduce you to the different types of accommodation available in Morocco. |
| First, there are hotels catering to all kinds of budgets. Internationally known hotels can be found in main towns and reservations can be easily made through their websites in English. Hotels offer a 25% reduction starting your second night for Moroccan and foreign residents. |
| Another high end accommodation is the riad. A riad is a traditional house built around a patio garden. In fact, the word riad correctly refers to the garden rather than to the house. These are cozier than hotels and offer rooms decorated in Moroccan style. You can find riad mostly in tourist areas such as Marrakesh, Fes, Essaouira. Most riad have a website and can be booked online. It's easy to find a riad because they always start with the word riad followed by a name. Or it starts with "dar" which means “house” in Arabic followed by the name of the place. For example, Riad Jasmin or Dar Jasmin. A room in a riad starts at 30 dollars per night and expensive ones can reach 300 dollars per night. |
| Besides hotels and riads, another type of accommodation that is very popular among Moroccans but much less among foreigners is vacation homes. These homes can be apartments, beach houses (common in coastal cities like Tangier and Essaouira), or cabins (in mountainous cities such as Ifrane). These are especially popular among families because it is much cheaper to rent a house for 5 or 6 people than renting a couple of rooms at a hotel. Also, people in Morocco usually travel in large families, this is a cultural thing, including relatives and friends. So, renting a house is a lot more economical. |
| These furnished houses or apartments are equipped with full kitchens which is great for cooking, which is also important for a large family since people prefer to cook their own traditional means rather than eating out. You don't need any special document to rent a house besides the basic ones required at a hotel, except it's not always easy to make a reservation in advance because these places do not advertise. So if you're travelling in a group, this may be a good choice for you. |
| For people on budget there are youth hostels in Casablanca, Fez, Rabat, Ifrane, Meknes, Azrou and Asni. They're pretty comfortable and a lot cheaper than hotels and riads. You can find more information and details in the PDF. |
| For trekkers and adventure seekers, there are many campsites in many parts of Morocco. These can range from tiny lots to well equipped grounds. They're well visited and can provide a good social experience. A list of sites is available at the Moroccan National Tourist Office. Make sure to check the PDF for how to have access to this. |
| Now, when you find a place that you like and that matches your budget, you want to be able to ask if they have an available room. This in Arabic is: waāš ʿindakum šiī biīt ḫāwiī? (واش عندكم شي بيت خاوي؟). |
| Again, waāš ʿindakum šiī biīt ḫāwiī? |
| This literally means "Do you have a room available?" |
| waāš means “do” |
| waāš |
| waāš |
| ʿindakum means “you have.” |
| ʿindakum |
| ʿindakum |
| šiī is “a/an” |
| šiī |
| biīt is “room” |
| biīt |
| Ḫāwiī is “empty” |
| ḫāwiī |
| ḫāwiī |
| So altogether: waāš ʿindakum šiī biīt ḫāwiī? means "Do you have a room available?" |
| Another useful phrase to end today's lesson is, "What's the price for the room?", in Arabic, this is, šḥal- al-ttamn diīal- al-biīt? (شحال التمن ديال البيت؟) |
| šḥal- al-ttamn diīal- al-biīt? |
| Šḥal means “how much" |
| šḥal |
| šḥal |
| al-ttamn means “price” |
| al-ttamn, make sure you stress on the T |
| diīal is “of” |
| diīal |
| diīal |
| And finally, al-biīt means “room” |
| al-biīt |
| So altogether: šḥal- al-ttamn diīal- al-biīt? |
| Literally means, “how much the price of a room?” or “What’s the price for the room?” |
Outro |
| Okay, to close out today's lesson, we'd like for you to practice what you've just learned. I'll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you're responsible for saying it aloud. You'll have a few seconds before I give you the answer, so حظ سعيد, that means "good luck" in Arabic. |
| Ok, here we go! |
| "Do you have a room available?" - waāš ʿindakum šiī biīt ḫāwiī? |
| waāš ʿindakum šiī biīt ḫāwiī? |
| waāš ʿindakum šiī biīt ḫāwiī? |
| “What’s the price for the room?” - šḥal- al-ttamn diīal- al-biīt? |
| šḥal- al-ttamn diīal- al-biīt? |
| šḥal- al-ttamn diīal- al-biīt? |
| All right. This is going to do it for this lesson of Arabic Survival Phrases. Remember to stop by ArabicPod101.com. There you’ll find an accompanying PDF, additional learning tools in the premium learning center, and other great Arabic language learning materials. See you soon, which in Arabic is - ilā al-liqāʾ. |
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