ghzel غزل
Moroccan Darija · verb
“ghzel” (غزل) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to spin (wool, thread).
Meanings
- to spin (wool, thread)
Usage
The verb ghzel refers to spinning wool or another fiber into thread. It is used mainly of traditional craft work, often done by women at home or in the countryside, with a spindle or spinning wheel. It is transitive and takes the material directly: ghzel ssouf, "to spin wool". The present tense is kayghzel. Note that in Standard Arabic, the same root also refers to amorous flirtation. In everyday darija, the basic meaning remains spinning.
Example
جدتي كانت كتغزل الصوف فالدار
jeddti kanet katghzel sof f dar
“My grandmother used to spin wool at home.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kanghzel | ghzelt | |
| nta (you, m.) | katghzel | ghzelti | ghzel |
| nti (you, f.) | katghzli | ghzelti | ghzli |
| howa (he) | kayghzel | ghzel | |
| hiya (she) | katghzel | ghzlat | |
| 7na (we) | kanghzlo | ghzlna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katghzlo | ghzelto | ghzlo |
| homa (they) | kayghzlo | ghzlo |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ghzel” but also “ghzl” and “ghzal”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.