bzeq بزق
Moroccan Darija · verb
“bzeq” (بزق) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to spit.
Meanings
- to spit
- to spit on (contempt)
Usage
Bzeq means "to spit". The present is formed as kaybzeq, the imperative is bzeq and the noun for saliva is bzaq. The verb takes f-, "in", or 3la, "on": bzeq 3lih, "he spat on him". Spitting on someone is a gesture of serious contempt, and the phrase then carries a strong insulting charge. The word tfel also exists, but bzeq remains very common in everyday speech. It is used notably in prohibitions such as ma tbzeqch f zzenqa, "don't spit in the street".
Example
ما تبزقش فالأرض
ma tbzeqch f l2erd
“Don't spit on the ground.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bzeq” but also “bze9”, “bzaq”, “bza9” and “bzq”. 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.