Fun with Comprehension

You may not believe this, but there were dark times in my past when I didn't know everything.

For example, as a Peace Corps Trainee I had this wild idea that one day I would be able to understand Moroccan people when they spoke to me and all my communication troubles would be over.

As it turns out, learning to comprehend words is only the first hurdle. I've got a much better grasp on Darija than I did in the early weeks and months, and I've noticed that instead of making me stress-free about communication, it's just made room for me to focus on new problems.

1. Did he really just ask me that?

On a few recent occasions, I've completely understood an individual, but was so thrown off by what he was saying I assumed I hadn't heard him correctly. Let's go to the very scientific transcript:

Boumar: Chal 3andek b kilu? (How many kilograms do you weigh?)
Alli: ...chnou? (What?)
Boumar: B kilu. Chal 3andek daba? (In kilograms. How much are you now?)
At this point I started imploding.

2. Wait...that's not Arabic is it.

Sometimes a student will be talking to me in Darija, then swiftly change the subject and throw in an English word or two. It's pretty embarrassing when you don't realize you are being spoken to in your native tongue. To the transcript!

Oussama: ...Iyeh, 3andi qraiya fe l3chiya welakin ghanji ghadda. (Yeah, I have school in the afternoon but I'll come tomorrow).
Alli: Wakha makayn mochkil. (Okay, no problem.)
Oussama: Alli! Chnahiya annieareyouokay? (Alli! What's "Annie, are you okay?")
Alli: Ach gilti liya? (What'd you say?)
Oussama: Michael Jackson! Annie, are you okay? What is it?
And then I launched into an awkward explanation of the storyline for Smooth Criminal.

3. Details schmetails

Darija is all about inferences. Even when you have a strong command of the language, it can be difficult to follow a train of thought because Moroccans can go for minutes on end talking about someone or a group of people without ever directly calling them by name. This happened last week:

Oussama: Jau lekhrayn? (Did the others come?)
Alli: Chkoun lekhrayn? (Who are the others?)
Oussama: Smithum. (What's-their-names.)
Alli: [bewildered stare.]
Oussama: Huma! (Them!)
Alli: [whimpering]
Oussama: HUMA li jau hanaya simana li daz m3a babahum. Jedad. (THE ONES that came here last week with their dad. They're new.)
And twenty minutes later we arrive at the same page. And yes, they did come.