nabta نبتة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“nabta” (نبتة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning plant, shoot.
Meanings
- plant, shoot
- seedling
Usage
Nabta means a plant, especially one grown at home, in a pot or in the garden. The word is close to Standard Arabic and is heard mostly among city dwellers or in a slightly refined register. It is feminine and is often used with chi (a, some): chi nabta. For the action of planting, the verb ghres is used instead. In everyday conversation, people also often refer to a plant by its specific name (n3na3, l7bq…) rather than with this general term.
Example
شريت نبتة صغيرة للبالكون
chrit nabta sghira lel balkon
“I bought a small plant for the balcony.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “nabta” but also “nbta” and “nebta”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “nabta” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “plant”; “seedling, sprout”: nabta in Tunisian.