3mti عمتي
Moroccan Darija · noun
“3mti” (عمتي) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning my paternal aunt.
Meanings
- my paternal aunt
Usage
3mti is formed from 3emma (paternal aunt, the father's sister) and the possessive suffix -i (my). A maternal aunt is khalti. Darija always requires you to choose between the two, whereas English has only one word. With other possessives you say 3emmtek (your aunt), 3emmtu (his aunt). Bent 3mti and weld 3mti refer to the children of a paternal aunt. Out of respect, 3mti or khalti is sometimes used to address an older woman you do not know.
Example
فينا هي عمتي
fina hiya 3mti
“Where is my aunt?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3mti” but also “3amti”, “3mmti”, “aamti” and “3emti”. 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 “3mti” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “my paternal aunt”; “ma'am (respectful address)”: 3amti in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “my paternal aunt”; “auntie (address for an older woman)”: 3amti in Tunisian.