motor موتور
Algerian Darja · noun
“motor” (موتور) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning motorbike, motorcycle.
Meanings
- motorbike, motorcycle
- engine
Usage
Motor is a borrowing from French "moteur", well integrated into the language. In everyday use, it refers mostly to the motorbike or scooter: rkeb el motor (he got on the motorbike), chra motor jdid. It also keeps its original sense of engine, of a car or a machine, notably among mechanics (el motor ta3 tomobil). The plural is motorat, or limoutour, modeled on French "les moteurs". Context indicates the meaning. An English speaker should remember that "motor" on its own most often refers to the two-wheeler.
Example
خويا شرا موتور جديد باش يروح للخدمة
khouya chra motor jdid bach yrouh lel khedma
“My brother bought a new motorbike to go to work.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “motor” but also “moutour”, “motour”, “moteur” and “mottor”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “motor” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “motorcycle, moped”; “engine, motor”: motor in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “motorbike, moped”; “engine”: motour in Tunisian.