khdma خدمة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“khdma” (خدمة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning work, job.
Meanings
- work, job
- workplace
- task, favour, matter
Usage
Khedma is the common word for "work": the job one holds, the activity itself and the workplace. Mchit l lkhedma means "I went to work". The plural is khdemat. The word also refers to a task or matter in progress: hadi khedma mzyana (that's good work, that's a good deal). The corresponding verb is khdem (to work). The construction khdem khedma means "to do a job". The register is neutral and the word is used in all situations, casual and formal.
Example
كاين شي خدمة
kayn xi khdma
“Is there any work?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khdma” but also “khedma”, “5dma”, “khadma”, “5edma” and “khidma”. 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 “khdma” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “work, job”; “piece of work, job done”: khedma in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “work, job”; “workplace”: 5edma in Tunisian.