mertah مرتاح
Algerian Darja · adjective
“mertah” (مرتاح) is an adjective in Algerian Darja meaning at ease, relaxed.
Meanings
- at ease, relaxed
- calm, untroubled
- comfortable, well-off
Usage
Mertah describes someone who feels good, without discomfort or worry: "rani mertah hna" (I'm comfortable here). It is also used for ease in a situation: "machi mertah m3a la caméra" (not at ease in front of the camera). The feminine is mertaha, the plural mertahin. It is also said of someone whose mind is at rest ("mertah men dak el mouchkil") and, more rarely, of a person who is financially comfortable. It does not describe an object: for a comfortable armchair, one says "yrayyeh" instead.
Example
من بعد ما بدلت الخدمة ولّيت مرتاح بزاف.
men ba3d ma beddelt el khedma wellit mertah bezzaf.
“Since I changed jobs, I've become much more at ease.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mertah” but also “mirta7”, “merta7”, “mertaah” and “mertaa7”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.
Type “mertah” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “at ease, relaxed”; “calm, peace of mind”: merta7 in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “at ease, calm, serene”; “rested, relaxed”: merte7 in Tunisian.