ch8er tnach شهر طناش
Moroccan Darija · noun
“ch8er tnach” (شهر طناش) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning December (twelfth month).
Meanings
- December (twelfth month)
Usage
Chher tnach, literally "month twelve", means December. Tnach is the darija form of "twelve". Numbering the months is the most natural way to name them in conversation in Morocco; "dujamber" or "décembre" are also heard. It is used without an article: "f chher tnach" (in December), "f lekher dyal chher tnach" (at the end of December). Pitfall: "tnach l chher" means "twelve months", a duration. For eleven, one likewise says chher hdach (November).
Example
البرد كيكون قوي ف شهر طناش
lbrd kaykoun qwi f chher tnach
“It gets very cold in December.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ch8er tnach” but also “ch8r tnach” and “ch8ar tnach”. 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.