mam3rofch مامعروفش
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“mam3rofch” (مامعروفش) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning little known, unknown.
Meanings
- little known, unknown
- uncommon
Usage
Mam3rofch is the negated form of ma3rouf, "known", with the negation ma… ch. It describes a person, place or practice that people don't know or that is uncommon: hadchi mam3rofch bzaf. With bzaf, it means "not very common". Without a complement, it can also mean "it isn't known", as in mam3rofch fin mcha, "nobody knows where he went". The feminine is mam3roufach. Note: ma3rouf on its own can also mean "of course", but this sense does not carry over to the negative form.
Example
هادشي مامعروفش بزاف فأوروبا
hadchi mam3rofch bzaf f oropa
“This isn't very well known in Europe.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mam3rofch” but also “mam3roufch” and “mama3roufch”. 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.