mostawa مستوى
Algerian Darja · noun
“mostawa” (مستوى) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning level (degree, skill).
Meanings
- level (degree, skill)
- school level
- class, standard, quality
Usage
Mostawa comes from Standard Arabic but is in very common use in darja. It refers to someone's level in a field, mostawah fel fransi ("his level in French"), or their level of education. It is often used to judge the standard of a person or an exchange: mostawa raki ("high level, classy") or mostawa habet ("low level, vulgar"). It is also used on its own as a compliment: mostawa! It is readily built with ta3: mostawa ta3i ("my level"). The plural is mostawayat. The pronunciation varies, from mostawa to mestwa.
Example
مستواه فالفرانسي ضعيف شوية
mostawah fel fransi d3if chwiya
“His level in French is a bit weak.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mostawa” but also “moustawa”, “mestwa”, “mustawa” and “mstwa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “mostawa” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “level (school, skill)”; “quality level, standard”: mostawa in Moroccan.