سمح ليا
smh liya
/SMEH li-YA/
excuse me / sorry
excusez-moi / pardon
interjectionstandard
Cultural note
The Darija way to apologize or ask for pardon. 'Smh' comes from the root meaning 'to forgive'.
In use
سمح ليا، ما عرفتش
Smh liya, ma 3reftsh
Sorry, I didn't know
How to say "excuse me / sorry" in Moroccan Arabic
In Darija (Moroccan Arabic), "excuse me / sorry" is smh liya (سمح ليا), pronounced /SMEH li-YA/. The French equivalent is "excusez-moi / pardon." The Darija way to apologize or ask for pardon. 'Smh' comes from the root meaning 'to forgive'.
Travelling to Morocco? Slow Morocco and Derb explain the context behind the words.