mtcha2em متشاءم
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“mtcha2em” (متشاءم) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning pessimistic.
Meanings
- pessimistic
Usage
Mtcha2em means "pessimistic". The feminine is mtcha2ma and the plural is mtcha2min. The opposite is mtfa2el, "optimistic". It is often used in the negative to encourage someone: matkounch mtcha2em. It is readily paired with phrases like ykoun khir or kolchi ghadi yd'ouz, "everything will be fine". The corresponding verb is tcha2em, "to see the dark side of things" or "to take something as a bad omen": tcha2em bih. The hamza (the 2 in the Latin spelling) is pronounced weakly, and you also hear mtchayem.
Example
ماتكونش متشاءم يكون خير
matkounch mtcha2em ykoun 5ir
“Don't be pessimistic, it'll be fine.”
Forms
| feminine | mtcha2ma |
|---|---|
| plural | mtcha2min |
| feminine plural | mtcha2mat |
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 “mtcha2em” but also “mtcha2m”, “motacha2im”, “mtchayem” and “mtchaem”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 2 is hamza (ء), a glottal stop.