m3a معا
Moroccan Darija · preposition
“m3a” (معا) is a preposition in Moroccan Darija meaning with, in the company of.
Meanings
- with, in the company of
- around, at (a time)
- during, at the time of
Usage
Spelling of m3a with a final alif, the basic preposition for "with". It takes suffixed pronouns: m3aya (with me), m3ak (with you), m3ah (with him), m3aha, m3ana, m3akom, m3ahom. Before a time or a meal, it places something in time: m3a l3sha, "around dinner", m3a t-tlata, "around three o'clock". It appears in expressions with rask: fewwej m3a rask, "take your mind off things". Pitfall for an English speaker: m3a is not used for the instrument ("to cut with a knife"); for that you say b: 9te3 b lmos.
Example
غادي نمشي معا خويا للسوق
ghadi nmchi m3a khoya l souq
“I'm going to the market with my brother.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “m3a” but also “m3aa”, “maa”, “ma3a” and “mea”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find معا and مع, all the same word.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.
Type “m3a” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
The same word also exists in Algerian Darja, written مع, where it means “with, in company of”; “around, about (time)”: m3a in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
The same word also exists in Tunisian Derja, written مع, where it means “with, in company of”; “around (a time)”: m3a in Tunisian.