mne3 منع
Moroccan Darija · verb
“mne3” (منع) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to forbid, ban.
Meanings
- to forbid, ban
- to prevent someone from doing
Usage
A common verb; present tense kayemne3, imperative mne3. It means to forbid something, as in mne3o tdkhine f lqahwa, "they banned smoking in the café", or to prevent someone from acting, with the construction mne3 + person + men + noun: mne3ni men lkhrouj. The passive is tmne3 or tmna3, "to be forbidden", and the participle mamnou3 is used on "forbidden" signs. The word also belongs to the official register of laws and regulations. For a prohibition within the family, khalla ma, "not to let", is also used.
Example
كانتسنّا فيك ت منع هادشي يدخل لبلاد
kantsenna fik t mne3 hadchi yd5el lblad
“I'm counting on you to stop this from entering the country.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kanmne3 | mne3t | |
| nta (you, m.) | katmne3 | mne3ti | mne3 |
| nti (you, f.) | katmn3i | mne3ti | mn3i |
| howa (he) | kaymne3 | mne3 | |
| hiya (she) | katmne3 | mn3at | |
| 7na (we) | kanmn3o | mn3na | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katmn3o | mne3to | mn3o |
| homa (they) | kaymn3o | mn3o |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mne3” but also “mna3”, “mn3” and “mena3”. 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.
Type “mne3” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to forbid, prohibit”; “to prevent”: mna3 in Tunisian.