How to bargain at the souk: 25 Darija phrases that work

Bargaining in a Moroccan souk isn't optional. Fixed prices exist in supermarkets (for numbers help, see our counting guide) and some modern shops. Everywhere else? The first price you hear is a fiction, and both parties know it.

This isn't about being cheap. It's a social ritual. The seller expects you to negotiate. Not doing it makes them think either you're too rich to care (they charge more next time) or you don't respect the game (which is genuinely an insult to some vendors).

The strategy

The standard approach, simplified:

1. Ask the price: bsh7al hada?
2. React with shock: bzzaf! (too much!)
3. Counter at 40-50% of their price
4. Go back and forth 2-3 times
5. If stuck, start walking away: la shukran (no thanks)
6. They call you back with a lower price. Or they don't, and you know the real floor.

The phrases

Darija	What you're saying	When to use it
bsh7al hada?	How much is this?	Opening move. Point at the item.
bzzaf!	Too much!	After hearing the first price. Always.
la, ghali	No, that's expensive	Calmer version of bzzaf.
n99s shwiya	Lower it a bit	Polite push for discount.
akhir taman?	What's the last price?	Signals you're getting serious.
3tini b...	Give it to me for...	State your counter-offer.
ana sakna hna	I live here	Tourist markup killer. If true, say it.
3ndek shi 7aja khra?	Do you have something else?	Browse alternatives to reset the price.
wakha, hak	OK, here you go	When you've agreed. Hand over the money.
la shukran	No thanks	Walking away. The power move.
tbarkllah 3lik	Well done / bravo	Compliment their goods. Softens the negotiation.
allah y3tik ss7a	May God give you health	When leaving, even if you didn't buy. Respect.

A real bargaining dialogue

Here's how a negotiation actually sounds, from opening to handshake. This is for a leather bag in the Marrakech medina.

Notice a few things. The seller started at 700, the buyer at 300. They met around 420 — roughly 60% of the opening price. The buyer used a volume tactic ("I'll take two") to push the final price lower. Both smiled throughout. Nobody got angry. That's the game working as intended.

Numbers you need for bargaining

You can't negotiate if you can't say prices. Here are the numbers that matter most at the souk (for the full number system, see our counting guide).

Darija	Number
3shra	10
3shrin	20
tlatin	30
khmsin	50
mya	100
miytin	200
tltmya	300
arba3mya	400
khmssmya	500
alf	1,000

What to bargain for (and what not to)

Not everything is negotiable. Here's the breakdown:

Always bargain: Leather goods (bags, belts, jackets), carpets and rugs, ceramics and pottery, textiles and scarves, lanterns and metalwork, anything in a tourist souk. The first price for these items might be 3-5x the real price. For carpets, it can be 10x.

Sometimes bargain: Clothing in regular shops, taxi fares (negotiate before getting in — see our taxi guide), bulk purchases at any vendor.

Never bargain: Produce, bread, and basic groceries (prices are standard), pharmacies, supermarkets, restaurants (the menu price is the price), anything with a printed price tag. Don't try to bargain for tomatoes. You'll get a look.

Advanced tactics in Darija

Once you're comfortable with the basics, these moves will get you better prices.

"Ana sakna hna" (I live here). Tourist markup is real. If you live in Morocco, say it early. If you're staying for a month, "ghadi nbqa hna shher" (I'm staying here a month) also works. It signals you're not a one-time sucker.

"Sahbi gal liya..." (my friend told me...) followed by a lower price. Social proof. "My friend bought the same thing at [other souk] for 200." The vendor knows you've done research.

"Wesh ymken dir liya taman mzyan ila khddit bzzaf?" (Can you do a good price if I take a lot?). Volume discounts work everywhere. Buying three items from the same vendor? Negotiate the bundle.

The walk-away. "La shukran, ghali bzzaf" (no thanks, too expensive) plus turning your body toward the exit. If the vendor calls you back, you have leverage. If they don't, you know the floor. Never bluff a walk-away unless you're actually willing to leave.

Unwritten rules

If you name a price and the seller accepts, you buy. Walking away after agreeing is genuinely rude and breaks the social contract. Don't bluff a price you're not willing to pay.

Smile during the whole exchange. Bargaining is supposed to be fun. The moment it feels adversarial, you've lost the plot. The best bargainers are the ones who make the seller laugh. Compliment their goods ("tbarkllah, had l-khddma zwina" — great craftsmanship). Ask about their family. Make it human.

Start with a greeting. Never open with "bsh7al hada?" before saying salam. The greeting comes first, always (see our greeting guide). A proper salam before bargaining signals respect and often gets you a lower starting price.

Don't feel guilty. The vendor will act heartbroken at your low offer. This is theater. They won't sell at a loss. If they accept your price, they're making money. The drama is part of the show, and both sides enjoy it.

Drink the tea. Many carpet and rug sellers will offer you tea. Accept it. Tea is not a commitment to buy. It's hospitality. But know that once you've sat down and had tea, the negotiation will last longer and the emotional pressure increases. If you're not seriously interested, politely decline the tea and keep moving.

The carpet shop experience

Carpet shopping deserves its own section because it's a different beast entirely. Moroccan carpets (zerabi) are the single most bargained-over item in the country. The experience goes like this: you walk past a shop, the owner invites you in, you say "just looking," and 45 minutes later you're on your third glass of tea while someone unfurls the twentieth carpet at your feet.

The opening price for a Berber carpet can be 5,000-10,000 dirhams. The real price might be 800-2,000 depending on size, quality, and age. The gap is enormous. This is where the real negotiation skills come in. Key phrases: "had zerbia bel-yed wla bel-makina?" (is this carpet handmade or machine-made?), "sh7al 3emrha?" (how old is it?), "men ayna menti9a?" (from which region?).

Knowing carpet regions shows you're not a casual tourist: Beni Ourain (white with black geometric patterns, from the Middle Atlas), Azilal (colorful, abstract, from the High Atlas), Boucherouite (recycled textiles, modern feel, increasingly popular with interior designers), Taznakht (deep reds and oranges, High Atlas). Mention the region by name and the seller knows you've done homework. Another power move: touch the carpet and say "hadi khddma dyal l-yed, mashi makina" (this is handmade, not machine). If you're right, the vendor respects you. If you're wrong, they'll correct you and the real conversation begins.

Timing matters too. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to shop. Sellers who haven't made their first sale of the day are more flexible — there's even a superstition that the first customer sets the tone for the whole day, so they're motivated to close. Late afternoon, vendors want to close up and are less inclined to hold firm on inflated prices.

When not to bargain (the social side)

Bargaining isn't always about price. Sometimes a vendor has become your friend — you've been buying from them for weeks, they know your name, they save things for you. In that relationship, aggressive bargaining starts to feel disrespectful. A small discount? Sure. Trying to halve their price? That's not friendship, that's exploitation.

Similarly, when buying from artisans who made the item themselves — a woman who spent three months weaving a carpet, a man who hand-tooled a leather bag — understand that you're buying their time and skill. The fair price isn't the lowest price. It's the price where both parties walk away feeling good. "Taman mzyan" (a good price) is the goal, not "rkhs bzzaf" (dirt cheap).

The best souk experience isn't the one where you paid the least. It's the one where you and the vendor both laughed, both negotiated in good faith, and both left satisfied. That's what "allah y3tik ss7a" at the end really means. And if you become a regular at certain shops, you'll eventually skip the bargaining entirely — they'll give you the local price without asking, and you'll have a friend in the medina who saves interesting pieces for you.

Practice these phrases with audio on darija.love — master the souk before your feet hit the medina.

Going to Morocco soon? Our Phrasebook Packs give you printable cheat sheets for exactly these situations — souk, taxi, restaurant, hotel. See plans.