momkin ممكن
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“momkin” (ممكن) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning possible.
Meanings
- possible
- maybe
- could you (polite request)
Usage
Momkin is very common in Moroccan Arabic. It is first of all an invariable adjective in impersonal phrases: momkin ? ("is it possible?"), machi momkin ("impossible"). Used on its own, it often means "maybe". Followed by a conjugated verb, it makes a polite request: momkin t3awenni ? ("could you help me?"). In this use, it is a good replacement for an overly direct imperative. In the feminine, it agrees as momkina when it describes a feminine noun. Note: it does not express physical ability, for which qder ("to be able") is used.
Example
أش ممكن دير?
ach momkin ddir?
“What could you do?”
Forms
| feminine | momkina |
|---|---|
| plural | momkina |
Forms as recorded in DODa, in its spelling.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “momkin” but also “mumkin”, “moumkin”, “momkine” and “mumkine”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “momkin” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “possible”; “maybe, perhaps”: momkin in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “possible”; “could you…, may I…”: momken in Tunisian.