mra مرا
Algerian Darja · noun
“mra” (مرا) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning woman (female person).
Meanings
- woman (female person)
- wife
Usage
Mra is the usual word for an adult woman, in all registers of daily life. It is also used to say "wife": mrati, "my wife", mrat khouya, "my brother's wife". The usual plural is nsa. Depending on the context, mra can also describe a mature, responsible woman (mra w nos, "a real woman"). Note that it is not used for a young girl, who is called tofla or chira depending on the region. The adjective agrees in the feminine: mra mlih, "a good woman".
Example
هاذيك المرا تخدم معايا فالبيرو.
hadik lmra tekhdem m3aya fel biro.
“That woman works with me at the office.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mra” but also “mra2”, “mara”, “mrat”, “mra2a” and “mraa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find مرا and مراة, all the same word.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 2 is hamza (ء), a glottal stop.
Type “mra” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “woman”; “wife”: mra in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “woman”; “wife”: mra in Tunisian.