mawqif موقف
Algerian Darja · noun
“mawqif” (موقف) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning difficult situation, predicament.
Meanings
- difficult situation, predicament
- position, stance
- attitude, reaction
Usage
Mawqif first means a situation, often a difficult or awkward one: hattni f mawqif s3ib ("he put me in a difficult situation"), or in the ironic wish "rabbi yhattek f mawqif kima hada". It also means "taking a stand": dir mawqif, "take a stand, react", for example to support someone. The word comes from the formal register but has become well established in everyday speech, especially in writing on social media. For a plain "case" or "moment" with nothing at stake, people often prefer the French "situation". Plural: mawaqif.
Example
حطّيتني في موقف صعيب قدّام الناس
hattitni f mawqif s3ib 9oddam nnas
“You put me in a difficult spot in front of everyone.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mawqif” but also “maw9if”, “mawkif”, “mawqef” and “mawgif”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “mawqif” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “situation, circumstance”; “position, stance”: maw9if in Moroccan.