mdina مدينة
Algerian Darja · noun
“mdina” (مدينة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning city, town.
Meanings
- city, town
- town centre, old town
Usage
Mdina is the everyday word for a city, whatever its size. It is often contrasted with the countryside or the douar: "ana men el mdina" means "I'm from the city". Depending on context, the word can also mean the centre or the old part of a city. It takes a place name without an article: "mdinet Wahran", "mdinet Stif". In writing, many people keep the standard pronunciation madina, especially in formal or media registers. The usual plural is mdoun.
Example
سكنت فالمدينة عشر سنين
skont fel mdina 3cher snin
“I lived in the city for ten years.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mdina” but also “madina”, “mdinet” and “medina”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “mdina” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “city, town”; “medina, old city”: mdina in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “city, town”; “medina, old town”: mdina in Tunisian.