fo9 l3ada فوق العادة
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“fo9 l3ada” (فوق العادة) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning extraordinary, exceptional.
Meanings
- extraordinary, exceptional
- great, awesome
Usage
Fo9 l3ada literally means "above the usual". It is an invariable phrase that is placed after the noun or used as a predicate. Examples: wa7ed lmakla fo9 l3ada "an extraordinary meal", lfilm kan fo9 l3ada "the film was great". In speech, it is mainly a marker of enthusiasm, close to "super" or "top". It is also found in a more formal register, for example in a press release, in the sense of "exceptional". It does not agree in gender or number. It can be intensified with bezzaf.
Example
العرس كان فوق العادة
l3ers kan fo9 l3ada
“The wedding was extraordinary.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “fo9 l3ada” but also “fou9 l3ada”, “faw9 l3ada”, “fo9 l3aada” and “foq l3ada”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.