3der عدر
Moroccan Darija · verb
“3der” (عدر) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to excuse, to forgive.
Meanings
- to excuse, to forgive
- to understand someone's situation
Usage
The verb 3der means "to excuse someone", that is, not to hold something against them because you understand their reasons. It is often written with dal, because the dhal of Standard Arabic is pronounced d in Morocco. In the imperative, 3derni, "excuse me", is used to ask for understanding, for example after being late or absent. For a more everyday apology, people usually say sme7li instead. The related noun is l3odr, "the excuse". Note: in the corpus, a similar spelling corresponds to 5eddar, "to drug", an unrelated word.
Example
اعدرني، ما كنتش عارف
3derni, ma kontch 3aref
“Excuse me, I didn't know.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kan3der | 3dert | |
| nta (you, m.) | kat3der | 3derti | 3der |
| nti (you, f.) | kat3dri | 3derti | 3dri |
| howa (he) | kay3der | 3der | |
| hiya (she) | kat3der | 3drat | |
| 7na (we) | kan3dro | 3drna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | kat3dro | 3drto | 3dro |
| homa (they) | kay3dro | 3dro |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3der” but also “3dr” and “3odr”. 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.