mtabe3 متابع

Algerian Darja · noun

“mtabe3” (متابع) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning follower, subscriber (social media).

Meanings

1. follower, subscriber (social media)
2. following (a matter, a show)

Usage

Mtabe3 mainly refers to a person who follows a page or channel on social media. It is very frequent in comments: ana mtabe3 jdid, "I'm a new follower". The feminine is mtab3a and the plural is mtab3in. As a participle, it also means "following, keeping up with": rani mtabe3 lmatch, "I'm following the match". The word comes from the standard language but has spread widely in written online darja. The French loanword abonné is also very common. The gloss "successive" does not match common Algerian usage.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mtabe3” but also “motaba3”, “mtab3” and “mutaba3”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.

Type “mtabe3” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “following (treatment, course)”; “prosecuted”: mtabe3 in Moroccan.