ch8er tlata شهر تلاتة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“ch8er tlata” (شهر تلاتة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning March, third month of the year.
Meanings
- March, third month of the year
Usage
Chhar tlata literally means "the month three". It is the most usual way to say "March" in Morocco: the months of the Gregorian calendar are numbered after the word chhar. It is used in everyday conversation, for dates, payments and deadlines. For example, fi chhar tlata, "in March". The name "mars", borrowed from French, is also heard, especially in cities. Watch the word order: chhar always comes first. With the number placed after, the meaning is different: tlata d les chhour means "three months", a duration and not a date.
Example
تزاد ولدي ف شهر تلاتة.
tzad weldi f chhar tlata.
“My son was born in March.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ch8er tlata” but also “ch8ar tlata” and “ch8r tlata”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 8 is light ha (ه) or ghayn (غ), depending on the writer.