khtiba خطيبة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“khtiba” (خطيبة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning fiancée.
Meanings
- fiancée
Usage
The noun khTiba is the feminine of khTib. It refers to a young woman who is engaged, after the proposal has been accepted by the families and before the wedding. It is very often used with a possessive: khTibti, "my fiancée", khTibtou, "his fiancée". In that case the final -a becomes -t-. The word is in the everyday register and suits all situations. It implies a recognized commitment: for a mere girlfriend, other, more informal words are used. The related verb is khTeb, "to ask for someone's hand", and the ceremony is called lkhoTba.
Example
خطيبة خويا ساكنة ف فاس
khtiba dyal khoya sakna f fas
“My brother's fiancée lives in Fès.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khtiba” but also “5tiba”, “khatiba”, “5atiba” and “5atyba”. 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 “khtiba” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “fiancée”: khtiba in Tunisian.