mo7taram محترم
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“mo7taram” (محترم) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning respectable, respected.
Meanings
- respectable, respected
- polite, well-mannered
Usage
Mo7taram describes a serious, honest person with a good reputation, whom others respect. It is used a lot to talk about a suitor or a family (wald nas, mo7taram), or to give a recommendation. In everyday usage, it also means "polite, correct in manner". The feminine is mo7tarma and the plural is mo7tarmin. The word comes from Classical Arabic but is fully integrated into the spoken language. It appears in phrases such as "ana mo7taram" (I'm a decent person) or "3ndo lmo7taram dyalo", in the sense that he deserves respect.
Example
راه محترم كولشي كيڭولها فيه زوينا
rah mo7taram koulchi kigoulha fih zwina
“He's respected; everyone speaks well of him.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mo7taram” but also “m7taram”, “mo7tarm”, “mhtaram” and “mo7tarama”. 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.
Type “mo7taram” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “respectable, worthy of respect”; “decent, proper, as it should be”: mohtaram in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “respectable, decent”; “respected, esteemed”: mo7tarem in Tunisian.