About French in Morocco
Updated July 2024
French is a mega-language that is an official language in 29 countries across several continents, and is used and spoken in 84 countries of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). This truly global language is the 18th most natively spoken language in the world, the sixth most spoken language by the total number of speakers, and the second or third most studied language worldwide (with about 120 million current learners). According to the OIF, approximately 300 million people worldwide are "able to speak the language.” In Morocco, French holds a unique position beyond these global statistics; many Moroccans speak and understand French, indicating its deep integration into daily communication and education within the country. In addition to being a lingua franca in many sectors such as business, academia, and diplomacy, French acts as a bridge language facilitating both national and international exchanges. In 2011, Bloomberg Businessweek ranked French the third most useful language for business, after English and Standard Mandarin Chinese. French is spreading in areas where the population is rapidly increasing, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
How Prevalent is French in Morocco?
Due to France’s influence in Morocco historically, the French language is widely spoken, with reports that about a third of the population speaks it. French is also the language used most commonly in business and government and is especially useful in Rabat and Casablanca. While French is no longer one of the official languages in Morocco, it is still one of the country’s two prestige languages and serves as a “lingua franca" around the country. In business, diplomacy, and government, French is a very useful language to know. In most government offices, banks, and many other contexts, you are expected to know either French or Arabic (though as a foreigner, most Moroccans will default to using French to speak to you). As Aleya Rouchdy, said, "For all practical purposes, French is used as a second language [in Morocco].”
Usually, the usage of French in Morocco depends on a person’s social class. For the higher socio-econimic class, speaking French is a kind of prestige. The middle class uses French as needed, such as in studies, offices, and when communicating with Westerners. For the lower socio-economic class of Morocco, a special language exists, called Dri-French, which is a mixture of French and Darija (Moroccan Arabic). Moroccans tend to take a French word and give it the form or pattern of a Darija word, such as the word “tconecta,” which means, he connected. In Morocco, you will hear many of these Dari-French words, and they can sound quite funny to the Western ear!
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The local dialect of Arabic in Morocco is called Darija (الدارجة), which means “everyday, colloquial language.” Modern Standard Arabic (MSA/Fossha), which is the international Arabic language, is used in writing and in official communication, but often feels somewhat artificial, or stuffy, because people don’t actually speak MSA.