men من
Moroccan Darija · preposition
“men” (من) is a preposition in Moroccan Darija meaning from (source, origin).
Meanings
- from (source, origin)
- of, among (part of a set)
- since
Usage
The preposition mn is one of the most frequent in darija. It indicates source (ja mn s-sou9, "he came from the market") and origin (huwa mn Fas). It also marks part of a set, wa7d mn s7abi, "a friend of mine", and a starting point in time, mn l-bare7, "since yesterday". It is also found in the comparative, kbir mn khouh, "older than his brother". Pitfall: it is not used for possession, which is expressed with dyal.
Example
هو من قطر
houwa mn l qatar
“He is from Qatar.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “men” but also “mn”, “man” and “min”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “men” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “from (origin)”; “of, among (part of a set)”: men in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “from (origin, provenance)”; “since, for (time)”: men in Tunisian.