What does it mean word for word?
مدرسة shares its root with the verb درس (dares), 'to study', the same root used across Arabic dialects and in Standard Arabic.
Which one should you use?
There is one everyday word for school in Darija, used for primary school through secondary school alike.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
مدرسة is used at every level of speech, with no separate formal word.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The word is the same across Morocco and close to the word used across most Arabic dialects.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural is مدارس (mdares), 'schools', as in كاين بزاف ديال المدارس, 'there are a lot of schools'.
How do you pronounce it?
The stress falls on the second syllable: me-DRA-sa.
When do people say it?
The Moroccan word مدرسة also gave English the word 'madrasa', though in English it usually refers specifically to an Islamic school, a narrower meaning than the everyday Arabic word.
Did you know?
- The English word 'madrasa' comes directly from مدرسة, though in English it usually refers narrowly to an Islamic school, a smaller meaning than the everyday Arabic word for any school.
- مدرسة shares its root with درس, 'to study', and مدرس, 'teacher', so all three words are built from the same core idea.
Examples in context
- ولدي كيمشي للمدرسة الصباح.weldi kaymshi l lmedrasa sbah.My son goes to school in the morning.
- المدرسة ديالو قريبة من الدار.lmedrasa dyalu qriba men ddar.His school is close to home.
- كانت المدرسة مغلقة اليوم.kanet lmedrasa mghluqa lyoum.The school was closed today.
Example conversation
A mother, Samira, asks her son Adam about his day at school.
- Samiraكيف مشى نهارك فالمدرسة؟kif mcha nharek f lmedrasa?How was your day at school?
- Adamمزيان، تعلمت حوايج جداد.mzyan, t3allemt hwayej jdad.Good, I learned new things.
- Samiraفرحانة بيك، كملتي الواجب؟ferhana bik, kemmelti lwajeb?I'm happy for you, did you finish your homework?
- Adamمازال، غادي نكمل من بعد.mazal, ghadi nkemmel men ba3d.Not yet, I'll finish it later.
