atay أتاي
Moroccan Darija · noun
“atay” (أتاي) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning tea (mint tea).
Meanings
- tea (mint tea)
- tea leaves
Usage
Atay is the usual word for tea in Morocco. It mainly means sweet green tea with mint, served at home as well as in cafés. It can also mean the dry tea leaves you buy. You say "ywjjed atay" or "3ammer atay" to make tea, and "kas d atay" for a glass of tea. Offering atay is an ordinary gesture of welcome. The word is used without the definite article: you say "atay", not "latay". For black tea or tea bags, another term is often added to specify.
Example
واش عندك أتاي؟
wach 3ndk atay ?
“Do you have any tea?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “atay” but also “attay”, “atai” and “ataay”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “atay” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “tea (especially mint tea)”: atay in Algerian.