ste8lek ستهلك
Moroccan Darija · verb
“ste8lek” (ستهلك) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to consume (energy, product).
Meanings
- to consume (energy, product)
- to use up, to wear out
Usage
Stehlek is a verb borrowed from Standard Arabic. It is used mostly about energy, fuel, water or products, for example for a car or a device that "consumes a lot." For food, kla ("to eat") is preferred: stehlek lmakla sounds technical or ironic. The verb takes a direct object: katstehlek bzzaf dyal lisans ("it consumes a lot of petrol"). It can also mean "to wear out," in the sense that someone or something is exhausted. The corresponding noun is stihlak ("consumption"). The initial st- is pronounced without a support vowel.
Example
هاد الطوموبيل كاتستهلك بزاف ديال ليسانس
had tomobil katste8lek bzzaf dyal lisans
“This car consumes a lot of petrol.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kanste8lek | ste8lekt | |
| nta (you, m.) | katste8lek | ste8lekti | ste8lek |
| nti (you, f.) | katste8lki | ste8lekti | ste8lki |
| howa (he) | kayste8lek | ste8lek | |
| hiya (she) | katste8lek | ste8lkat | |
| 7na (we) | kanste8lko | ste8lkna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katste8lko | ste8lekto | ste8lko |
| homa (they) | kayste8lko | ste8lko |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ste8lek” but also “stehlek” and “sti8lek”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 8 is light ha (ه) or ghayn (غ), depending on the writer.