khater خاطر
Moroccan Darija · noun
“khater” (خاطر) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning liking, pleasing someone.
Meanings
- liking, pleasing someone
- mood, heart
Usage
Khaṭer denotes a person's mood or sensibility, and above all what pleases them. It is used in fixed expressions: "3la khaṭrek", as you like or as you wish; "dir khaṭer flan", to please someone or spare their feelings; "bla khaṭer", with nobody thinking of you. Beware of khaṭir, with a long i: this adjective means "dangerous" and, among young people, "awesome". The two words look alike in arabizi, but they are distinct. The sense "to risk" given by some sources is marginal.
Example
واش ندير لناس خاطرهوم وانا نبقى بلا خاطر؟
wach ndir lnas khaterhoum wana nb9a bla khater?
“Am I supposed to please everyone while nobody thinks of me?”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kankhaTr | khaTrt | |
| nta (you, m.) | katkhaTr | khaTrti | khaTr |
| nti (you, f.) | katkhaTri | khaTrti | khaTri |
| howa (he) | kaykhaTr | khaTr | |
| hiya (she) | katkhaTr | khaTrat | |
| 7na (we) | kankhaTro | khaTrna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katkhaTro | khaTrto | khaTro |
| homa (they) | kaykhaTro | khaTro |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khater” but also “5ater” and “khatr”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.
Type “khater” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “mood, desire, heart for”; “regard ("for you")”: khater in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “because, since”; “for, out of consideration for (3la khater)”: 5ater in Tunisian.