This program is designed for international residents or long-term visitors in Morocco who want to move beyond classroom language learning and into real, everyday communication. Through a combination of guided instruction, immersive field practice, and reflective discussion, participants develop both linguistic competence and the cultural awareness necessary to navigate daily life in Darija.

Duration: 5 weeks
Schedule: 2 sessions/weekend (3 hours each)

Week 1: 4-5 July 2026

Week 2: 11-12 July 2026

Week 3: 18-19 July 2026

Week 4: 25-26 July 2026

Week 5: 1-2 August 2026

Lesson Schedule:

9:00-9:15 Lesson warm up

9:15-10:30 Language skills focus

10:30-11:45 Applied learning & practice 

11:45-12:00 Reflection, discussion, and questions

WEEK 1: SURVIVAL DARIJA IN A MULTILINGUAL MOROCCO

Theme: Entering everyday life

Session 1: Greetings, Politeness & Social Codes

This session centers on the foundational language of everyday interaction in Morocco: greetings, expressions of respect, and the subtle social codes that shape how people acknowledge one another. Participants will explore how greetings shift across contexts—formal and informal, peer-to-peer and across generations—while developing awareness of tone, body language, and rhythm as integral parts of communication.

• Language Focus:
  Participants will learn a range of greetings and responses used in daily life, including variations depending on time of day, familiarity, and social context. Emphasis will be placed on respectful forms of address, gendered language, and the layered nature of greeting exchanges. Students will also practice introducing themselves and sustaining short opening conversations.

• Discussion Focus:
  Morocco’s Multilingual Landscape
  This seminar explores Morocco as a multilingual society, examining how Darija, Tamazight, Modern Standard Arabic, French, and other languages intersect in everyday life. Participants will consider how language reflects broader questions of identity, power, and history, and how these dynamics influence even the most routine interactions.

• Field Practice:
  Participants will engage in guided interactions initiating greetings and short exchanges with staff and community members. The emphasis is on observing and practicing both verbal and nonverbal communication.

• Reflection:
  Students will reflect on the multilingual landscape of Morocco and how their own language-learning and presence in Morocco fits into that.

Session 2: Ordering Food & Café Culture

This session focuses on one of the most accessible and frequent forms of interaction: ordering food and drinks in cafés and restaurants. Participants will build the language needed to navigate these exchanges while also understanding the social role of cafés in Moroccan daily life.

• Language Focus:
  Students will learn how to ask for menus, order food and drinks, express preferences, and make simple requests. Attention will be given to polite phrasing, tone, and listening comprehension in fast-paced service environments.

• Discussion Focus:
  Café Culture & Social Rhythms
  This seminar explores cafés as central social spaces in Morocco, examining how they function across gender, class, and generational lines, and how language operates within these environments.

• Field Practice:
  Participants will independently order in café or restaurant settings, engaging in real interactions with staff. Instructors will observe and support students in refining both language and interaction style.

• Reflection:
  Students will reflect on their ability to navigate service interactions, including moments of success, misunderstanding, and adaptation.

WEEK 2: MARKETS, MONEY & LOCAL ECONOMY

Theme: Navigating daily transactions

Session 3: Hanout Culture & Buying Groceries

This session centers on one of the most important sites of daily life: the neighborhood hanout. Participants will learn vocabulary for common goods, quantities, and simple transactional exchanges. The session also introduces key Tamazight phrases, acknowledging the linguistic diversity of many hanout owners and workers.

• Language Focus:
  Students will learn vocabulary for common goods, numbers, quantities, and pricing. They will practice constructing transactional exchanges, including asking for items, confirming quantities, and handling payment. The session also introduces basic Tamazight phrases, recognizing the linguistic diversity of many hanout owners.

• Discussion Focus:
  Amazigh Presence in Urban Areas
  This discussion explores the role of Amazigh communities in Morocco’s urban economic life, examining how migration, identity, and language intersect in everyday spaces.

• Field Practice:
  Participants will visit local hanouts and complete real purchases, engaging in repeated interactions to build familiarity and confidence.

• Reflection:
  Students will reflect on how repetition and routine support language acquisition, and how small daily interactions can deepen both linguistic and cultural understanding.

Session 4: Souk Culture & Negotiation

This session introduces participants to the language and social practice of bargaining in Moroccan markets. Beyond vocabulary, the focus is on tone, humor, and relational dynamics that shape negotiation.

• Language Focus:
  Participants will learn how to ask for prices, negotiate, respond to counteroffers, and exit interactions respectfully. Emphasis will be placed on tone, indirect communication, and recognizing common bargaining patterns.

• Discussion Focus:
  Ethics of Bargaining
  Participants will explore the ethical dimensions of negotiation within contexts of tourism, economic disparity, and perceived wealth, reflecting on their positionality as outsiders.

• Field Practice:
  Students will engage in a scavenger hunt that includes bargaining scenarios in the medina, applying both language and cultural awareness in real interactions.

• Reflection:
  Students will reflect on feelings of discomfort or confidence, as well as the ethical considerations involved in participating in market exchanges.

WEEK 3: SYSTEMS & NAVIGATION

Theme: Moving through Moroccan infrastructure

Session 5: Transportation & Mobility

This session focuses on navigating Rabat’s transportation systems, including taxis and trams, while communicating effectively in dynamic and sometimes unpredictable environments.

• Language Focus:
  Participants will learn how to give directions, ask about destinations, negotiate taxi fares, and clarify misunderstandings. Emphasis will be placed on listening comprehension and adapting language in fast-moving situations.

• Discussion Focus:
  Urban Mobility & Informal Systems
  This seminar explores how transportation systems operate in Morocco, including the role of informal practices and the social dynamics that shape movement through the city.

• Field Practice:
  Participants will complete guided transportation tasks, such as taking taxis or navigating tram routes, buying train tickets, asking for or giving directions in Darija.

• Reflection:
  Students will reflect on their ability to problem-solve in motion, manage uncertainty, and communicate effectively in unfamiliar situations.

Session 6: Administrative Life & Institutions

This session prepares participants to navigate formal systems and bureaucratic interactions, which are often some of the most challenging aspects of living in a new country.

• Language Focus:
  Students will learn key phrases for asking for help, clarifying information, and engaging in formal interactions. Emphasis will be placed on repetition, confirmation, and strategies for navigating local bureaucracies. 

• Seminar:
  Language, Power & Access
  This seminar examines how language operates within systems of power, including bureaucracy and institutional access, and how these dynamics affect both locals and foreigners.

• Field Practice:
  Participants will engage in real or simulated administrative tasks, such as visiting a post office or inquiring about services.

• Reflection:
  Students will reflect on the challenges of navigating formal systems, including language barriers, frustration, and strategies for persistence.

WEEK 4: RELATIONSHIPS & BELONGING

Theme: Moving beyond transactional language

Session 7: Friendship, Invitations & Social Life

This session shifts focus toward relational language, helping participants move beyond transactional exchanges and into more meaningful social interactions.

• Language Focus:
  Participants will learn how to accept and decline invitations, express gratitude, and engage in conversational exchanges that build connection. Attention will be given to tone, politeness, and relational nuance.

• Discussion Focus:
  Generosity, Boundaries & Social Norms
  This discussion explores Moroccan social expectations around hospitality, love, friendship, and reciprocity, as well as how boundaries are communicated.

• Field Practice:
  Participants will engage in guided conversations with peers or local community members, practicing more open-ended interaction.

• Reflection:
  Students will reflect on how relationships are formed across cultural and linguistic differences, and how language shapes connection.

Session 8: Food, Home & Cultural Intimacy

This session brings participants into the language of the home, exploring communication in more intimate and informal settings.

• Language Focus:
  Students will learn vocabulary related to cooking, food preparation, and shared meals, while also practicing listening comprehension in less structured conversations.

• Discussion Focus:
  Home Life & Cultural Intimacy
  This seminar explores themes of family, gender roles, and what it means to be invited into private spaces within Moroccan culture.

• Field Practice:
  Participants will take part in a cooking session with a local host, engaging in conversation and observation.

• Reflection:
  Students will reflect on the experience of entering more intimate cultural spaces and how language functions within them.

WEEK 5: STORYTELLING, EXPRESSION & CULTURAL MEMORY

Theme: Language as narrative and connection

Session 9: Storytelling I – Narrating Everyday Life in Darija

This session introduces storytelling as a practical and expressive language skill, focusing on how to narrate everyday experiences in Darija.

• Language Focus:
  Participants will learn how to structure a simple narrative using sequencing language, basic past tense forms, and everyday verbs. They will also practice expressing emotions and reactions to events.

• Discussion Focus:
  Introduction to Hikayat & Oral Tradition
  This seminar explores storytelling as a cultural practice in Morocco, examining how stories function in everyday life and how meaning is conveyed through rhythm, tone, and performance.

• Field Practice:
  Participants will share short personal stories with peers or local conversation partners, practicing extended speech and active listening.

• Reflection:
  Students will reflect on the transition from speaking in isolated phrases to telling more connected and meaningful stories.

Session 10: Storytelling II – Hikayat Workshop & Performance

This final session brings participants into direct engagement with Moroccan storytelling traditions through a live performance and interactive workshop led by a traditional storyteller.

• Language Focus:
  Participants will expand their storytelling skills by incorporating detail, dialogue, and emotional nuance, while adapting their language to audience and context.

• Discussion Focus:
  Hikayat in Practice
  A traditional storyteller will lead a workshop and performance, offering insight into the techniques and cultural significance of oral storytelling.

• Field Practice:
  Participants will engage in the workshop through listening, participation, and sharing their own stories in a guided setting. Students will take on language challenges throughout their storytelling workshop. 

Reflection:
The program concludes with a final reflection on storytelling as a tool for connection, memory, and continued language learning.