GRAMMAR FOUNDATIONS

Possession in Darija with Dyal

Dyal is one of the most reusable words in Darija. Place it after a noun, then add the ending that identifies the owner.

Reviewed learning guide

7 min read

Latin + Arabic script

Updated Jul 13, 2026

The main dyal forms

The noun normally comes first: telefon dyali literally means the phone of mine.

Darija LatinArabic scriptMeaningUsage note
dyaliุฏูŠุงู„ูŠmine / myโ€”
dyalkุฏูŠุงู„ูƒyours / yourโ€”
dyaluุฏูŠุงู„ูˆhisโ€”
dyalhaุฏูŠุงู„ู‡ุงhers / herโ€”
dyalnaุฏูŠุงู„ู†ุงours / ourโ€”
dyalkumุฏูŠุงู„ูƒู…yours / your (plural)โ€”
dyalhumุฏูŠุงู„ู‡ู…theirs / theirโ€”

Possession in useful sentences

Darija LatinArabic scriptMeaningUsage note
Hada telefon dyaliู‡ุงุฏุง ุงู„ุชู„ููˆู† ุฏูŠุงู„ูŠThis is my phoneโ€”
Fin kayna ddar dyalk?ููŠู† ูƒุงูŠู†ุฉ ุงู„ุฏุงุฑ ุฏูŠุงู„ูƒุŸWhere is your house?โ€”
Smiytu Ahmedุณู…ูŠุชูˆ ุฃุญู…ุฏHis name is AhmedSome common nouns take a direct possessive ending.
Ltomobil dyalha jdidaุงู„ุทูˆู…ูˆุจูŠู„ ุฏูŠุงู„ู‡ุง ุฌุฏูŠุฏุฉHer car is newโ€”
Had lktab dyalnaู‡ุงุฏ ุงู„ูƒุชุงุจ ุฏูŠุงู„ู†ุงThis book is oursโ€”

Direct possessive endings

Kinship terms, body parts, and a few frequent nouns often attach the owner ending directly instead of using dyal.

Darija LatinArabic scriptMeaningUsage note
khuyaุฎูˆูŠุงmy brotherโ€”
khtkุฎุชูƒyour sisterโ€”
smitiุณู…ูŠุชูŠmy nameโ€”
yeddiูŠุฏูŠmy handโ€”

Frequently asked questions

Does dyal change for masculine and feminine nouns?

The noun does not select a different dyal form. The ending changes according to the owner: dyalu for his, dyalha for hers, and so on.

Can I use dyal with people?

Dyal commonly marks ownership and association, but kinship words usually sound more natural with direct endings such as khuya, my brother.

What is the difference between dyalk and dyalkum?

Dyalk addresses one owner. Dyalkum addresses more than one owner.

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Sources and editorial note

This guide was prepared from established Moroccan Arabic learning references and checked for practical beginner use. Darija is a living spoken language, so spelling, vocabulary, and pronunciation can vary by region and speaker.

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