The short answer
Tamazight is the Amazigh, or Berber, language, and one of Morocco's two official languages alongside Classical Arabic. In Marrakech, daily life runs on Darija, Moroccan Arabic, with French in hotels, restaurants and on signs. Tamazight is common in the Atlas villages around the city, where you may hear little French and a greeting in Tamazight goes a long way.
In more detail
Tamazight has its own alphabet, which you will see written in some place names alongside Arabic and Latin letters. Signs in Tamazight script are a small, visible sign of the language's official status.
Visitors are not expected to speak it. On a day trip, your guide will translate, and a few words of Darija, such as 'salam' and 'shukran', are understood almost everywhere. Learning one Tamazight greeting from your guide is a kind gesture in a village home.
On a day trip into the High Atlas you will mostly hear Tamazight and Darija, with less French. A few words of greeting, even badly pronounced, are met with smiles, and your guide is the best teacher for the dialect of the valley you are in.
In Marrakech itself, daily life runs on Darija, and you will rarely need Tamazight. Morocco's official languages are Classical Arabic and Amazigh, and in the medina you can manage in English, French and a few words of Darija.
Good to know
- Use 'salam' and 'shukran' anywhere in Morocco.
- Ask your Atlas guide for one greeting in the local dialect.
- Expect less French in mountain villages.