Ways to say it
| Moroccan Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| بيبي | bibi | common, informal |
| رضيع | rdi3 | more formal, written |
بيبي is heard constantly in daily speech, as in شحال عمر البيبي؟, 'how old is the baby?' رضيع is the more formal, written word for an infant.
What does it mean word for word?
بيبي is borrowed from French or English 'baby', adapted into Darija pronunciation. رضيع comes from the Arabic root for breastfeeding.
Which one should you use?
بيبي is what Moroccans actually say in conversation. رضيع appears more in medical or written contexts, such as a doctor's note.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
بيبي is casual and used in daily family life. رضيع is more formal.
Is it said differently in some regions?
بيبي is used across Morocco, especially in cities, as one of many French and English loanwords in everyday Darija.
How does it change in a sentence?
بيبي is used as an invariable noun in casual speech, the same form regardless of gender.
How do you pronounce it?
بيبي is said with two equal syllables: BI-bi.
Did you know?
- بيبي is a direct loanword that sits alongside the native Arabic رضيع, with the loanword winning out in everyday speech.
- Saying ماشاء الله when admiring a baby is a near-automatic habit in Morocco, meant to ward off envy or bad luck.
Examples in context
- البيبي نايم دابا.lbibi nayem daba.The baby is sleeping now.
- كيف صحة الرضيع؟kif sshet rrdi3?How is the infant's health?
Example conversation
Two neighbours, Fadwa and Btissam, talk about a newborn baby.
- Fadwaشحال عمر البيبي دابا؟shhal 3omr lbibi daba?How old is the baby now?
- Btissamعندو شهر غير دابا.andu shher ghir daba.He is only one month old now.
- Fadwaماشاء الله، حلو بزاف.mashallah, hlou bzzaf.God bless him, he is so cute.
- Btissamشكرا بزاف، كايبكي بزاف الليل.shukran bzzaf, kaybki bzzaf llil.Thank you very much, he cries a lot at night.
