3zza عزّا
Moroccan Darija · verb
“3zza” (عزّا) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to offer condolences.
Meanings
- to offer condolences
- to console
Usage
3zza means to offer condolences to the family of a deceased person. It is constructed with the preposition f: "3zzit fih", "I offered him my condolences". The present tense is ki3zzi, and people commonly say "mchit n3zzi", "I went to offer my condolences". The related noun is l3za, which refers both to mourning and to the wake where visitors are received. The broader sense of "to console" exists, but it is less frequent. Pitfall: do not confuse it with 3ezz, "to esteem, cherish".
Example
مشينا نعزّيو فيهم فالدار
mchina n3zziw fihom f dar
“We went to their house to offer them our condolences.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | 3zzit | |
| nta (you, m.) | 3zziti | 3zzi |
| nti (you, f.) | 3zziti | 3zzi |
| howa (he) | 3zza | |
| hiya (she) | 3zzaat | |
| 7na (we) | 3zzina | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | 3zzito | 3zziw |
| homa (they) | 3zzao |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3zza” but also “3azza”, “3za” and “3ezza”. 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 “3zza” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to offer condolences to someone”; “to console, comfort”: 3azza in Tunisian.