stakhdem ستخدم
Moroccan Darija · verb
“stakhdem” (ستخدم) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to use, make use of.
Meanings
- to use, make use of
- to employ someone
Usage
Stekhdem means to use an object, a tool or a method. It is slightly more formal than sta3mel, which is more common in conversation. It is often heard in connection with technology, products or rules of use: stekhdem l'application, stekhdem had dwa. The object is direct, with no preposition. The participle mostakhdam can mean an employee, in an administrative register. Be careful not to confuse it with khddem, which means to make someone work or to operate a device.
Example
كيستخدم هاد التطبيق كل نهار
kayestakhdem had tatbi9 kol nhar
“He uses this app every day.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kanstkhdm | stkhdmt | |
| nta (you, m.) | katstkhdm | stkhdmti | stkhdm |
| nti (you, f.) | katstkhdmi | stkhdmti | stkhdmi |
| howa (he) | kaystkhdm | stkhdm | |
| hiya (she) | katstkhdm | stkhdmat | |
| 7na (we) | kanstkhdmo | stkhdmna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katstkhdmo | stkhdmto | stkhdmo |
| homa (they) | kaystkhdmo | stkhdmo |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “stakhdem” but also “stekhdem”, “stkhdm”, “stakhdam” and “sta5dem”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.