7tell حتلّ
Moroccan Darija · verb
“7tell” (حتلّ) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to occupy (a territory).
Meanings
- to occupy (a territory)
- to take over a place
Usage
A verb of standard (Arabic) origin: 7tell (perfective), y7tell (imperfective). It is used mainly in the military or political sense, for an army or a country occupying a territory. The register is fairly formal and it is often heard in the news. To occupy a seat or a space in everyday life, one rather says chedd lblassa. Beware of a common pitfall in writing: 7tal or 7tel very often stand for 7tta l-, "until" (7tal ghda, until tomorrow). So rely on context.
Example
الجيش حتلّ المدينة
ljich 7tell lmdina
“The army occupied the city.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kan7tell | 7tellit | |
| nta (you, m.) | kat7tell | 7telliti | 7tell |
| nti (you, f.) | kat7telli | 7telliti | 7telli |
| howa (he) | kay7tell | 7tell | |
| hiya (she) | kat7tell | 7tellat | |
| 7na (we) | kan7tello | 7tellina | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | kat7tello | 7tellito | 7tello |
| homa (they) | kay7tello | 7tello |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7tell” but also “7tel”, “7tall”, “htell” and “i7tall”. 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.