mhandes مهندس
Algerian Darja · noun
“mhandes” (مهندس) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning engineer.
Meanings
- engineer
- architect (mhandes mi3mari)
Usage
Mhandes, or mohandis, is the Arabic word for "engineer". It is well understood and used in Algeria, but in everyday life people also often say ingénieur, pronounced the French way. The feminine is mhandsa and the plural is mhandsin. The form mhandes mi3mari means the architect. It is found in constructions such as khdam mhandes, "he works as an engineer". Jokingly, mhandes can also be used for someone ingenious or good at tinkering. The register is neutral, a bit more formal than the French equivalent in the mouths of some speakers.
Example
خويا خدام مهندس في الشركة
khouya khddam mhandes f charika
“My brother works as an engineer at the company.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mhandes” but also “mohandis”, “mhendes” and “muhandis”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “mhandes” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “engineer”: mohandis in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “engineer”: mohandes in Tunisian.