amr أمر
Moroccan Darija · noun
“amr” (أمر) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning order, command.
Meanings
- order, command
- matter, thing (formal)
- at your service (formula)
Usage
The noun amr denotes an order given by an authority: amr mn l-mdir (an order from the director). In a more formal register, it also means "matter, thing": amr mzyan (a good thing). The verb form amer is used mainly in a very Moroccan polite formula: amer! or amer w ana m3ak! (command me, I'm at your service). It is said to invite someone to ask for whatever they want. The plural is awamir. In everyday life, to "give an order", people often say l-amr instead, or use phrasing with gal (to say).
Example
هادشي أمر من عند المدير
hadchi amr men 3and lmdir
“That's an order from the director.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kan2amer | 2amert | |
| nta (you, m.) | kat2amer | 2amerti | 2amer |
| nti (you, f.) | kat2amri | 2amerti | 2amri |
| howa (he) | kay2amer | 2amer | |
| hiya (she) | kat2amer | 2amrat | |
| 7na (we) | kan2amro | 2amrna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | kat2amro | 2amrto | 2amro |
| homa (they) | kay2amro | 2amro |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “amr” but also “2amr”, “amer” and “2amer”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 2 is hamza (ء), a glottal stop.