sa3d ساعد
Moroccan Darija · verb
“sa3d” (ساعد) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to help, assist someone.
Meanings
- to help, assist someone
Usage
Sa3d (imperfect ysa3d) means "to help". It takes a direct object: sa3dni (help me), sa3dha f lkhedma (he helped her with the work). It is understood everywhere, but in conversation the most common verb is 3awn (ay3awn). Sa3d has a slightly more formal or general flavour. It is often heard in the phrases sa3dni 3afak (help me, please) or llah ysa3dek (may God help you). Do not confuse it with the first name Sa3id or with s3ada (happiness), which have a different root.
Example
عافاك ساعدني نهز هاد الصندوق
3afak sa3dni nhez had sondo9
“Please help me carry this crate.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kansaa3d | saa3dt | |
| nta (you, m.) | katsaa3d | saa3dti | saa3d |
| nti (you, f.) | katsaa3di | saa3dti | saa3di |
| howa (he) | kaysaa3d | saa3d | |
| hiya (she) | katsaa3d | saa3dat | |
| 7na (we) | kansaa3do | saa3dna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katsaa3do | saa3dto | saa3do |
| homa (they) | kaysaa3do | saa3do |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sa3d” but also “saa3d”, “sa3ed” and “saad”. 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.