7tares حتارس
Moroccan Darija · verb
“7tares” (حتارس) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to be careful, take care.
Meanings
- to be careful, take care
- to beware of
Usage
The verb ḥtares, imperfective yḥtares, means "to be careful" or "to take precautions". The thing or person one is wary of is introduced by men: "ḥtares mennu". It is most common in the imperative, as advice or a warning. It is a little more formal than the most common expression for "be careful", ḥḍi rask, which can also be said rddi l-bal. It is heard in repeated reminders, parents' warnings and public-safety messages.
Example
إمتا غادي ت حتارس
imta ghadi t 7tars
“When are you going to be careful?”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kan7tars | 7tarst | |
| nta (you, m.) | kat7tars | 7tarsti | 7tars |
| nti (you, f.) | kat7tarsi | 7tarsti | 7tarsi |
| howa (he) | kay7tars | 7tars | |
| hiya (she) | kat7tars | 7tarsat | |
| 7na (we) | kan7tarso | 7tarsna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | kat7tarso | 7tarsto | 7tarso |
| homa (they) | kay7tarso | 7tarso |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7tares” but also “7tars”, “htares”, “htars” and “7taress”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.