le77 لحّ
Moroccan Darija · verb
“le77” (لحّ) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to insist on someone.
Meanings
- to insist on someone
- to urge, to pester
Usage
The verb l77 (le77, conjugated yl77 in the present) means to insist, to come back to the charge. It is constructed with "3la" followed by the person: "l77 3liya", he insisted with me. It is often followed by "bach": "kay l77 3liya bach nmchi m3ah", he insists that I go with him. Depending on context, it is neutral, like polite insistence, or slightly negative, when someone is being pushy. The corresponding noun is l-i l7a7 or t-tl77ih, insistence. Watch out: in writing, the same sequence of letters can correspond to l7em, meat, or l7out, fish. Only context resolves the ambiguity.
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kanl77 | l77it | |
| nta (you, m.) | katl77 | l77iti | l77 |
| nti (you, f.) | katl77i | l77iti | l77i |
| howa (he) | kayl77 | l77 | |
| hiya (she) | katl77 | l77at | |
| 7na (we) | kanl77o | l77ina | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katl77o | l77ito | l77o |
| homa (they) | kayl77o | l77o |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “le77” but also “l77”, “la77” and “lah”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.