gltou قلتوا
Moroccan Darija · verb
“gltou” (قلتوا) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning you (pl.) said.
Meanings
- you (pl.) said
- you (pl.) told yourselves
Usage
Geltou is the perfect form of the verb gal / 9al, "to say", in the second person plural: "you said". In darija, this plural is used to address several people. It is not used as a polite form for a single person. The person receiving the words is added with l-: geltou lia, "you told me". As with other forms, before another verb it can mean "you thought" (literally "you said to yourselves"). The initial consonant is pronounced g or 9 depending on the region. Online, the ending is written either -ou or -u.
Example
أش قلتوا ليه؟
ach geltou lih?
“What did you (pl.) say to him?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “gltou” but also “geltou”, “9ltou” and “galtou”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.