Ways to say it
| Moroccan Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ميلاد مجيد | milad majid | |
| عام سعيد | am said | general season greeting |
Morocco has a small Christian community, and French speakers often simply say the French joyeux Noël instead. عام سعيد (am said), 'happy year', is a more general seasonal wish also heard around the same time.
What does it mean word for word?
ميلاد means 'birth' and مجيد means 'glorious', referring to the birth of Christ. عام سعيد joins عام, 'year', and سعيد, 'happy'.
Which one should you use?
ميلاد مجيد is specific to Christmas. عام سعيد is broader, used for the New Year as much as for Christmas season greetings.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Both are warm, polite phrases suited to any relationship, without a stiffer formal alternative needed.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Since Morocco's Christian population is small, ميلاد مجيد is heard mainly among the Christian community and expatriates, in French-influenced urban settings, rather than as a widespread national custom.
How does it change in a sentence?
Neither phrase changes for gender or number, since both are fixed seasonal expressions.
How do you pronounce it?
مجيد is stressed on the second syllable, 'ma-JEED', the same as in Standard Arabic.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Using عيد مبارك, the greeting for Islamic holidays, at Christmas is a mismatch, since it is tied specifically to Eid.
When do people say it?
In Morocco, December greetings often blend French and Arabic, with joyeux Noël heard as often as ميلاد مجيد in mixed or French-speaking circles.
Did you know?
- Morocco's small but long-established Christian community, along with its European expatriate population, keeps ميلاد مجيد a familiar phrase in cities like Casablanca and Rabat.
- French greetings like joyeux Noël are heard as commonly as Arabic ones in Morocco's French-speaking social circles each December.
Examples in context
- ميلاد مجيد وعام سعيد.milad majid w am said.Merry Christmas and happy new year.
- ميلاد مجيد لكم جميعا.milad majid likom jmi3an.Merry Christmas to all of you.
- عام سعيد مليء بالفرح.am said mliy bil-farh.A happy year full of joy.
Example conversation
Colleagues Claire and Yassin exchange holiday wishes at the office in Casablanca.
- Claireميلاد مجيد ياسين.milad majid yassine.Merry Christmas, Yassin.
- Yassinميلاد مجيد كلير، وعام سعيد.milad majid claire, w am said.Merry Christmas, Claire, and happy new year.
- Claireشكرا بزاف، وعام سعيد ليك كمان.shukran bzzaf, w am said lik kaman.Thank you very much, and happy new year to you too.
- Yassinسنة زوينة للجميع.sana zwina l-ljami3.A beautiful year for everyone.
