mchet مشط
Moroccan Darija · verb
“mchet” (مشط) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to comb, do someone's hair.
Meanings
- to comb, do someone's hair
- to untangle (hair)
Usage
Mchet is the usual verb for "to comb". The imperfective is ymchet and the imperative is mchet. You comb someone, for example in "mchet bentha", she combed her daughter's hair. You can also comb a part of the body, as in "mchet cha3rek", comb your hair. For doing it to yourself, the reflexive tmchet, "to comb one's hair", is used: "sir tmchet 9bel ma tkhrej". The word for the tool is mchta, the comb. The verb is neutral and everyday, very common in family speech, especially when looking after children.
Example
مشطي شعرك قبل ما تخرجي
mchti cha3rek 9bel ma tkhrji
“Comb your hair before you go out.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mchet” but also “mcht” and “mchat”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.