m3tadel معتادل
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“m3tadel” (معتادل) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning calm, mild (sea, weather).
Meanings
- calm, mild (sea, weather)
- moderate, measured
Usage
M3tadel is used a lot for the weather and the sea: l-jaw m3tadel ("the weather is mild"), l-b7er m3tadel ("the sea is calm"). It can also describe a measured person, neither excessive nor extreme, or a reasonable price. It comes from the standard register but is well integrated into everyday speech, notably among weather presenters. The feminine is m3tadla. An English speaker can compare it to "temperate" or "moderate", depending on the context.
Example
راه معتادل البحر اليوم ماكاينينش لماج
rah m3tadl lb7er lyouma makayninch lmaj
“The sea is calm today, there are no waves.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “m3tadel” but also “m3tadl”, “mo3tadil” and “m3tadil”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
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.