ma ما
Moroccan Darija · particle
“ma” (ما) is a particle in Moroccan Darija meaning not (negation).
Meanings
- not (negation)
- that, -ever (after kif, bla…)
- water (variant of lma)
Usage
Ma is first of all the negation particle. With a verb, it forms the discontinuous negation ma…ch: "ma fhemtch" (I didn't understand). The -ch drops before "walo", "7tta" or "7ed": "ma cheft walo" (I saw nothing). Ma also works as a conjunction in expressions such as "kif ma" (as, however), "bla ma" (without), "mli" or "9bel ma" (before). Finally, "ma" means water, usually in the form "lma"; without the article, you hear it in "ma bared". Context tells these uses apart.
Example
ما شفت والو
ma cheft walo
“I saw nothing.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ma” but also “maa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “ma” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “not (negation)”; “what, as much as”: ma in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “not (with -ch)”; “what, as much as (relative)”: ma in Tunisian.