mar7ala مرحلة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“mar7ala” (مرحلة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning stage, step.
Meanings
- stage, step
- period, phase of life
Usage
Mar7ala means a stage or step in a process, a project or a competition, and also a period of life. For example, "had lmar7ala s3iba" (this period is hard) is said of a passing moment. The word comes from the written language but is well established in everyday use, notably for schooling ("lmar7ala l'ibtida2iya", primary school) and for football. The plural is mara7il. The expression "ghir mar7ala" is used to put things in perspective: it's just a phase.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mar7ala” but also “mer7ala”, “mr7ala”, “marhala” and “merhala”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.