ma3ada ماعادا
Moroccan Darija · preposition
“ma3ada” (ماعادا) is a preposition in Moroccan Darija meaning except, apart from.
Meanings
- except, apart from
- unless (ma3ada ila)
Usage
Ma3ada means "except", "apart from", before a noun or a pronoun: "ma3ada nta", "apart from you". Followed by ila, it forms "ma3ada ila", "unless", "except if". The verb that follows is then often in the perfect: "ma3ada ila tla3 lḥal", "unless the weather turns bad". The word is common and of neutral register. Its colloquial synonyms are "8ir" and "men ghir". Pitfall: do not confuse it with ma3a, "with".
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ma3ada” but also “ma3ad” and “maada”. 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.