batata m9liya بطاطا مقلية
Moroccan Darija · expression
“batata m9liya” (بطاطا مقلية) is an expression in Moroccan Darija meaning french fries, fried potatoes.
Meanings
- french fries, fried potatoes
Usage
Batata m9liya refers to potatoes cut and fried in oil, served as a side or tucked into a sandwich. Batata (or btata) means "potato" and m9liya "fried"; the adjective agrees in the feminine. In speech, many Moroccans say "frites" instead, borrowed from French, especially in snack bars and restaurants. Batata m9liya remains common at home and among those who avoid French. It is found with dyal: sandwich b batata m9liya. For potatoes boiled in water, one says batata m9ouwda or mslou9a.
Example
بغيت شي صحن ديال البطاطا مقلية
bghit chi s7an dyal lbatata m9liya
“I'd like a plate of french fries.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “batata m9liya” but also “btata m9lia”, “batata ma9lia”, “btata m9liya” and “batata m9lia”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.