Customer Reviews

Lonely Planet Moroccan Arabic: Phrasebook (Lonely Planet Language Survival Kit)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My husband and I have both gone over the book and were quite suprised and pleased at the accuracy. Moroccan arabic is a VERY different dialect from the traditional and Egyptian arabic, so if you are hoping to use this book to communicate with other arabic speakers that are NOT from Morocco, forget it. They will not understand you(although, some Algerians and Tunisians might as many Moroccans live there and the language is a little similar), so don't buy it if you want to communicate with non-Moroccans. I bought the travel pack which included the book, audio cassette and a little lesson book, that doubles as the cassettes's cover. Although, it is true: it is not for conversations or to learn the actual language from; it is mainly travel dialog and gettin' around stuff to say but I have in a pinch been able to use it on my husband with fantastic results. NOTE: this dialect is not spoken all through Morocco. There are several dialects of arabic spoken there. This particular dialect is spoken in Casablanca, Agadir and around there-'bouts. Different regions speak different dialects but most Moroccans should be able to understand you, from what my hubby says. I did have a couple of disappointments though; for one, the book's transliteration is a little strange on some of the words but nothing crucial, you will still be understood. I read arabic and some pages includes the arabic script of the sentences, so I could read that and understand more. Secondly, I wish there was MORE dialog or a part 2!! Third, if you buy the cassette with it, sadly, it does NOT cover anything in the book. My husband and I agree that it is an excellent book and well worth the price but if it is too hard for you to learn it and you are going to Morocco: learn Spanish or French. At least 95% of the population knows them as they are considered the main 4 languages of the land: Arabic, French, Spanish(Spain dialect-not Mexican Spanish), and Berber. If you are getting it to learn for a Moroccan husband or boyfriend, it will slightly help but you will not learn the language or how to speak to him from this book but it's a good reference to have on hand anyway! It has helped me! (get the cassette, too!)

This is a fairly good learning tool - it comes with a book and a CD. I would have liked more on the CD (Not many of the phrases in the book are on the CD). One problem is that the CD is not aligned with the material in the book, so you can't follow the CD as you look at the book. Another problem is that the transliteration in the book doesn't always look like the way it is pronounced on the CD. For example, a word on the CD might have more than one syllable, but the book only shows one. The word for "some" is one example. One gripe I have is that the CD has many phrases using "or." For example "hot or cold." It is difficult to tell where the word "hot" ends and where the word "cold" begins.

I was under the impression that a CD is included but I never received any CD, among the reviews, there is mentioned of a CD?
Why they missed it, even I sent them a complaint?
My wife is Moroccan and I will write a complete review after I analysed it and use it for a while.

This is one of the most helpful things you can have with you while traveling in Morocco. My Moroccan friends really enjoyed this little book, too! We pointed to words in the Dictionary part and could understand each other. They said it helped them to learn English. I also brought a French/English Dictionary, but next time will bring a French Phrasebook along. As most people in Morocco don't speak English, it's very helpful to know some French and a little Arabic.

A copy of this book is waiting for me...in a box in Seattle! Now, I'm in Ohio planning another trip to Morocco. I missed having this great phrasebook. There aren't many resources for learning Moroccan Arabic so I've ordered it again today. Learning Arabic is a top priority for me now. A journey through Morocco can be an amazing experience.

This book was GREAT! It's the best one out there, and it's a Fantastic price. So much information, helpful phrases, easy word spelling for prnounciation. This book was so helpful and yet so simple, it takes you from basic topics such as "Religion" "People" "Places" "Transportation" "Feelings" and so many other topics. This is a must read book. And it's so small, you can bring it anywhere.

if you have had some language training in Moroccan Arabic or classical/standard Arabic. It's otherwise a bit difficult to use, especially if it's your first exposure to the language. One added benefit is the book's two short sections on French and Berber phrases for the traveler.

Just a book. I got A couple of Audio Guides in addition. This book is small and light and a great little traveling companion.

The phrasebook was very helpful when I went over to Morocco for vacation. But before I left I had to have my friend from Morocco help me to make sure I was pronouncing them correctly. But for the most part it was helpful and very useful.

This book provides a lot of fun facts that make it easy to understand the Moroccan language, as well as culture. There is an easy-to-use pronunciation guide to get any beginner started, though some of the suggested sounds to make while attempting to pronounce certain phrases are difficult to master. This book seems to encompass what one would need to know for their basic travel needs, and most of what it does not cover in its text, it covers in its dictionary. This book is ideal for traveling due also to its small size. However, I would not recommend purchasing it for the purpose of attempting to communicate with your ESL (English as a Second Language) boyfriend, whom you cannot understand otherwise, because it probably won't be too helpful.

(Especially if he dumps you because you can in no way marry him sometime in the near future).

I was very annoyed by this book - after I studied quite hard with its CD (which is included in the book), I tried to talk to local people and several moroccan friends, they all laughed at me for my pronunciation. They said my pronunciation was not even close!