What does it mean word for word?
سلام means 'peace'. لاباس joins لا, 'no', and باس, 'harm', so together it means 'no harm', 'all is well'.
Which one should you use?
لاباس؟ works as both the question and, on its own, the answer, so the same word can open and close the exchange.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
سلام is casual and friendly. For more respect, Moroccans use the fuller السلام عليكم instead, especially with elders or strangers.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The greeting is used across Morocco.
How does it change in a sentence?
لاباس does not change for gender, but the fuller follow-up كي داير؟ (to a man) or كي دايرة؟ (to a woman) often comes next.
How do you pronounce it?
لاباس has a long first a: laa-BAS.
What mistakes should you avoid?
The expected answer to لاباس؟ is لاباس، الحمد لله, 'fine, thank God', not a long explanation of how you actually feel unless asked further.
When do people say it?
Moroccan greetings are a short ritual, so even سلام، لاباس؟ is often followed by more questions about health, family and work before getting to the main topic.
Did you know?
- لاباس, literally 'no harm', works as both the greeting question and its own reply, a tidy two-way word unlike the separate question and answer forms in English.
- Moroccan greetings often run through several rounds of questions about health and family before a conversation moves to its real topic.
Examples in context
- سلام، لاباس عليك؟salam, labas 3lik?Hello, are you well?
- سلام، لاباس؟ كلشي بخير؟salam, labas? kulshi bikhir?Hello, how are you? Is everything fine?
- لاباس، الحمد لله، وانت؟labas, lhamdulillah, w nta?Fine, thank God, and you?
Example conversation
Two old classmates, Anouar and Ghita, run into each other on the street in Fes.
- Anouarسلام، لاباس؟salam, labas?Hello, how are you?
- Ghitaلاباس الحمد لله، وانت كيداير؟labas lhamdulillah, w nta kidayer?Fine thank God, and how are you?
- Anouarبخير، شحال من الزمان ما تشافينا.bikhir, shhal men zzman ma tshafina.Good, it's been so long since we've seen each other.
- Ghitaصحيح بزاف، خاصنا نتلاقاو.sahih bzzaf, khessna ntlaqaw.Really, we should meet up.
