How do you say thank you and please in Moroccan Darija?

The word you will use most in Morocco is "Shukran" (SHOOK-ran), thank you. It comes from classical Arabic so it is understood everywhere, by everyone. To pour it on — and Moroccans appreciate warmth — add "bzzaf" (b-ZAFF): "Shukran bzzaf", thank you very much. After a beautiful meal, a kind direction, a good price, that little "bzzaf" lands every time. If you want to sound truly local you can say "Shukran 3la kulshi" (SHOOK-ran a-la KOOL-shee), "thanks for everything".

"Please" is "Afak" (a-FAK) when you are speaking to one person, and "Afakum" (a-FA-koom) to a group. Use it the way you would in English — "Atay, afak" ("tea, please"), or "Afak" on its own to politely get attention. It softens any request and is essential in the souk, where a flat demand can feel abrupt but "Afak" turns it into a courtesy. I always coach travellers to lead with "Salam" and "Afak" before asking anything; the response you get back is noticeably warmer.

When someone thanks you, the graceful replies are "Bla jmil" (bla-JMEEL), roughly "no thanks needed / don't mention it", or the fuller "La shukran 3la wajib" (la SHOOK-ran a-la WA-jib), "no thanks for a duty". Both convey the lovely Moroccan idea that helping you was simply the right thing to do, not a favour to be repaid. You will hear hosts say it constantly, and using it yourself when, say, you hold a door, marks you as someone who has paid attention.

Two more words that travel with thank-you and please. "Smeh liya" (SMEH LEE-ya) means "excuse me" or "sorry" — perfect for squeezing through a crowded medina lane or apologising for a small mistake; to a group say "Smeh liya" still, it works fine. And "Min fadlik" (min FAD-lik) is a more formal "please/excuse me" you might use with an official or an elder. Keep "Shukran", "Afak" and "Smeh liya" on the tip of your tongue and you will glide through almost every daily interaction with grace.