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Morocco has two official languages, both confirmed by the 2011 constitution: Modern Standard Arabic and Amazigh, also called Berber.

Modern Standard Arabic is the language of government, media, official documents and formal education.

Amazigh was given official status in 2011, recognising the language of the country's indigenous population after centuries as a mainly spoken tongue.

French, despite being everywhere in business and education, is not an official language; it is a widely used second language, a legacy of the colonial period.

The Arabic most Moroccans actually speak day to day is Moroccan Arabic, or Darija, used by well over 30 million people in Morocco and across the Moroccan diaspora.

It differs noticeably from Modern Standard Arabic in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar, and it carries clear influences from Amazigh, French and Spanish.

A speaker of Standard Arabic from the Middle East and a Darija speaker will not always understand each other easily.

Amazigh is the language of Morocco's indigenous communities and has been spoken in the region for thousands of years. It is not a single uniform language but a set of related varieties, the main ones being Tashelhit in the south, Tamazight in the central High Atlas, and Tarifit in the northern Rif.

Millions of Moroccans speak an Amazigh variety, and since 2011 the language has been official alongside Arabic, appearing increasingly on signage and in schools, written in its own Tifinagh script.

French arrived during the French protectorate of 1912 to 1956 and never left. Although it has no official status, it remains a prestige language of commerce, diplomacy, higher education and the media, and a large share of Moroccans, especially in cities like Rabat and Casablanca, speak it fluently. For a visitor, French is often the most useful European language to have.

Spanish is spoken mainly in the northern regions of Morocco, for example around Tangier and Tetouan, a legacy of the former Spanish protectorate and the proximity to Spain.

English, though Morocco was never a British colony, is growing quickly, particularly among younger Moroccans and in tourism and international business, so it will get you a long way in the larger cities.

The mix reflects a long history of arrivals. Phoenician traders reached the coast as early as the first millennium BC, followed by the Romans, and then, from the 7th century, the Arabs, who brought Islam and Arabic.

Centuries later the country was divided into a French protectorate and a Spanish zone in the north, until independence in 1956. Each wave left its mark on how Moroccans speak today, layered over the deep Amazigh foundation.

The languages spoken in Morocco start with its two official languages, Arabic and Amazigh (Berber, official since 2011). In everyday life most people speak Moroccan Arabic (Darija), French is very widely used though not official, and Spanish (in the north) and English (in tourism and among the young) are also common.

It is a rich linguistic setting to learn in, and SPRACHCAFFE teaches Arabic and French in Rabat.