retteb رتّب
Moroccan Darija · verb
“retteb” (رتّب) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to tidy, put in order.
Meanings
- to tidy, put in order
- to sort, classify
- to organize, prepare
Usage
Rtteb, in the present kayretteb, means to put in order. It is used for a room, belongings, papers: retteb bitek, "tidy your room". It is also used to mean sorting according to an order, or organizing a project or a trip. The corresponding noun is tartib, "order, ranking", and the participle mretteb means "tidy, orderly". Pitfall: do not confuse it with rtteb written with an emphatic ṭ (رطّب), "to moisturize, soften", which you see for skin in cosmetics ads. Pronunciation and Arabic spelling tell the two verbs apart.
Example
رتّب لكتوبا فوق لبورو
retteb lktouba fo9 lburou
“He arranged the books on the desk.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kanrttb | rttbt | |
| nta (you, m.) | katrttb | rttbti | rttb |
| nti (you, f.) | katrttbi | rttbti | rttbi |
| howa (he) | kayrttb | rttb | |
| hiya (she) | katrttb | rttbat | |
| 7na (we) | kanrttbo | rttbna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katrttbo | rttbto | rttbo |
| homa (they) | kayrttbo | rttbo |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “retteb” but also “rtteb”, “rttb”, “ratteb” and “rattab”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.