3tana عتانا
Moroccan Darija · verb
“3tana” (عتانا) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning he gave us.
Meanings
- he gave us
Usage
3tana is a conjugated form of the verb 3ta ("to give") followed by the pronoun -na ("us"): "he gave us". The gloss "care" in the sources is wrong; it comes from confusion with a Standard Arabic verb. The construction is 3ta + pronoun for the recipient + thing given, with no preposition: 3tana lflous ("he gave us the money"). Feminine: 3tatna; plural: 3tawna. Imperfective: ka-y3tina. The verb 3ta is very common and neutral, and it is also used for assigning homework, a grade or permission.
Example
الأستاد عتانا التمارين
l2ostad 3tana tamarin
“The teacher gave us the exercises.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kan3tani | 3tanit | |
| nta (you, m.) | kat3tani | 3taniti | 3tani |
| nti (you, f.) | kat3tani | 3taniti | 3tani |
| howa (he) | kay3tani | 3tana | |
| hiya (she) | kat3tani | 3tanaat | |
| 7na (we) | kan3taniw | 3tanina | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | kat3taniw | 3tanito | 3taniw |
| homa (they) | kay3taniw | 3tanao |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3tana” but also “a3tana” and “3tanaa”. 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.