mamtwe99e3ch مامتوقّعش
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“mamtwe99e3ch” (مامتوقّعش) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning unexpected, unforeseen.
Meanings
- unexpected, unforeseen
- not expecting something
Usage
Negative form of the participle mtwe99e3 ("expected, anticipated"), bracketed by the negation ma… ch. Used alone or after raha / rah, it describes a surprising fact: "rah mamtwe99e3ch" means "it's unexpected, we didn't expect it". With a personal subject, the participle takes on a verbal sense: "ana mamtwe99e3ch" means "I didn't expect it". It then agrees: mamtwe99e3ach in the feminine, mamtwe99e3inch in the plural. The register is common and familiar, and very frequent in online comments. It should not be taken as a verb conjugated in the past: it is a participle describing a state.
Example
هاد الشي مامتوقّعش، حتى واحد ما كان عارف
had chi mamtwe99e3ch, hta wa7ed ma kan 3aref
“This is unexpected, nobody knew.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mamtwe99e3ch” but also “mamto99e3ch” and “mamtwa99e3ch”. 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; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.