hder هضر
Moroccan Darija · verb
“hder” (هضر) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to speak, talk.
Meanings
- to speak, talk
- to chat, discuss
- to say, express oneself
Usage
Hder is the most common verb for "to speak" in darija. You say hder m3a (to talk with someone), hder 3la (to talk about something) and hder b (to speak a language or in a certain way): kayhder bfransawiya (he speaks French). In the present: kanhder, kathder. The corresponding noun is lhedra (speech, conversation, way of speaking). Depending on the region, you also hear tkellem, which is closer to standard Arabic and often considered more formal. The expression hder m3ah can also mean "to court someone".
Example
عفاك هضر بشوية
3afak 8Der bchwiyya
“Please speak slowly.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kan8Dr | 8Drt | |
| nta (you, m.) | kat8Dr | 8Drti | 8Dr |
| nti (you, f.) | kat8Dri | 8Drti | 8Dri |
| howa (he) | kay8Dr | 8Dr | |
| hiya (she) | kat8Dr | 8Drat | |
| 7na (we) | kan8Dro | 8Drna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | kat8Dro | 8Drto | 8Dro |
| homa (they) | kay8Dro | 8Dro |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hder” but also “hdar”, “8der”, “hdr”, “8dr” and “8dar”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find هضر and هدر, all the same word.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 8 is light ha (ه) or ghayn (غ), depending on the writer.
Type “hder” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
The same word also exists in Algerian Darja, written هدر, where it means “he spoke”; “he talked about, mentioned”: hdar in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
The same word also exists in Tunisian Derja, written هدر, where it means “to talk, to speak”; “waste, squandering (standard Arabic sense)”: hder in Tunisian.