otomatikiyan أُتوماتيكيا
Moroccan Darija · adverb
“otomatikiyan” (أُتوماتيكيا) is an adverb in Moroccan Darija meaning automatically, without intervention.
Meanings
- automatically, without intervention
- necessarily, by default
Usage
Otomatikiyan is a loanword from French, adapted with the Arabic adverbial ending -an. It is very common in speech, among young people and adults alike, to talk about devices, machines or administrative procedures: a door that opens by itself, a payment deducted automatically. Figuratively, it means "necessarily" or "it goes without saying": a consequence that follows by itself. It is often placed at the end of the sentence. An English speaker will recognize it easily, but the pronunciation is Arabized: the initial "o" is short and the "k" is clearly marked. You also hear the French form automatiquement used as is.
Example
الباب كيتحل أوتوماتيكيا
lbab kayt7ell otomatikiyan
“The door opens automatically.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “otomatikiyan” but also “otomatikian”, “automatikian” and “otomatikyan”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.