mchat مشات

Algerian Darja · verb

“mchat” (مشات) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning she went, she left.

Meanings

1. she went, she left
2. it worked out, it succeeded

Usage

Mshat is the third-person feminine singular past form of the verb msha (to go, to leave). It is used for a woman (mshat l'souq: she went to the market), but also for a feminine-gender thing: a deal, an idea, a product. In that case the meaning shifts towards "it worked" or "it caught on": idha mshat means "if it works". Depending on the context, mshat can also mean "she disappeared" or "she passed". Note that the verb takes l- or l'- for the destination, and not a preposition like "to".

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mchat” but also “mshat”, “mchet”, “mechat” and “mshet”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “mchat” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “she went, she left”; “she is gone (for good)”: mchat in Moroccan.