ddat الذات

Moroccan Darija · noun

“ddat” (الذات) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning self, the person themselves.

Meanings

1. self, the person themselves
2. b ddat: precisely, exactly

Usage

In the sense of "self", ddat comes from Standard Arabic. It is heard mostly in learned expressions such as "tatwir ddat" (personal development) or "ti9a f ddat" (self-confidence). The most typically Moroccan use is the phrase b ddat, which means "precisely", "exactly" or "in particular": "b ddat nta" (you in particular), "had nhar b ddat" (that very day). This phrase is very common in speech, in a neutral register. For an English speaker, b ddat is often rendered as "exactly" or "of all...". It does not translate as "per se".

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ddat” but also “dat”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “ddat” on the Arabic keyboard