mtwade3 متواضع
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“mtwade3” (متواضع) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning humble, unassuming.
Meanings
- humble, unassuming
- modest, unpretentious
Usage
A very common and clearly complimentary adjective. It describes someone who doesn't push themselves forward and stays approachable despite their success or rank. It is often heard about public figures, bosses or athletes: rah mtwade3 bezzaf. It can also describe a modest thing, such as a meal or a house, but this sense is less frequent. The feminine is mtwad3a and the plural mtwad3in. The usual opposites are m9ayed or mtkebber, "haughty". Calling yourself humble often raises a smile.
Example
راه متواضع بزّاف هاد راجل
rah mtwade3 bezzaf had rajel
“This man is very humble.”
Forms
| feminine | mtwaD3a |
|---|---|
| plural | mtwaD3in |
| feminine plural | mtwaD3at |
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 “mtwade3” but also “metwade3”, “mtwad3”, “mtwada3” and “motawadi3”. 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 “mtwade3” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “humble, modest (person)”; “modest, limited (means)”: mtwadha3 in Algerian.