Do Moroccans expect tourists to speak French or Arabic?

No, Moroccans don’t expect tourists to speak French or Arabic, and you can get by with English in tourist areas, though a few words of either language are warmly received. Morocco is used to international visitors, and in hotels, tours and popular sites English is widely understood.

French is the most useful second language to know a little of, as it’s spoken across business, signage and daily life, and a few French phrases go further than English away from tourist centres. A handful of Arabic (Darija) greetings — salam, shukran, la shukran — delights locals and smooths interactions.

Learning to say hello, thank you and no thank you in Darija, plus basic numbers for the souk, is a small effort with a big payoff. But no one will expect fluency, and goodwill and a smile bridge most gaps.