staghell استغل

Moroccan Darija · verb

“staghell” (استغل) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to make the most of, put to use.

Meanings

1. to make the most of, put to use
2. to exploit (someone, a situation)

Usage

Staghell takes a direct object: staghell lwe9t ("make good use of time"), staghell lforsa ("seize the opportunity"). It has a neutral or positive sense when it is about a thing: making the most of a holiday or an opportunity. Applied to a person, it becomes pejorative: staghellni means "he took advantage of me, he exploited me". The corresponding noun is stighlal ("exploitation"). The pitfall for an English speaker is this double meaning: the context shows whether it is friendly advice or a reproach. The register is common, slightly more polished than simple phrasing with bghit nstafed.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “staghell” but also “staghel”, “stghel”, “istaghal” and “staghall”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “staghell” on the Arabic keyboard