Ways to say it
| Moroccan Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| هدف | hadaf | |
| جول | jul | informal, from English |
Commentators and headlines use هدف, while fans shouting during a match often just say جول (jul), borrowed straight from English.
What does it mean word for word?
هدف also means 'target' or 'objective' in general, so it covers both a football goal and a life goal. جول is simply the English word adapted to Darija sounds.
Which one should you use?
هدف is the correct word in writing, commentary and formal talk. جول is for the street and the stadium, shouted the instant the ball crosses the line.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
هدف is neutral to formal. جول is informal and almost always shouted rather than said calmly.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The borrowed جول is common across Morocco and the wider Maghreb wherever French and English football vocabulary mixes with Darija.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural of هدف is أهداف (ahdaf), used when counting goals: تلاتة ديال أهداف (tlata dyal ahdaf), 'three goals'.
How do you pronounce it?
The h in هدف is a light h, and the stress falls on the first syllable: 'HA-daf'.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not confuse هدف with مرمى (marma), which is the goalpost or goal area, not the scored goal itself.
When do people say it?
Morocco's run to the 2022 World Cup semifinal filled streets with chants of جوووول, drawn out for as long as the celebration lasts.
Did you know?
- هدف doubles as the word for a life goal, so a Moroccan can use the same word for scoring in football and for a personal ambition.
- During the 2022 World Cup, Moroccan fans popularized drawn-out chants of جوووول that spread across Arabic social media far beyond Morocco.
Examples in context
- سجل هدف فالدقيقة الأخيرة.sejjel hadaf f-dqiqa lakhra.He scored a goal in the last minute.
- جول! المغرب فازو!jul! lmeghrib fazu!Goal! Morocco is winning!
- الهدف ديالي هو نتعلم الفرنسية.l-hadaf dyali howa nt3allem l-fransiya.My goal is to learn French.
Example conversation
Yassine and his friend Khalid watch a football match together in a café in Marrakech.
- Yassineشوف شوف، غادي يسجل هدف!shuf shuf, ghadi ysejjel hadaf!Look, look, he is about to score a goal!
- Khalidجوووول!juuul!Goal!
- Yassineشحال ديال الأهداف دابا؟shhal dyal l-ahdaf daba?How many goals is it now?
- Khalidجوج ليهم وواحد لينا.juj lihum w wahed lina.Two for them and one for us.
