sti3mal ستعمال
Moroccan Darija · noun
“sti3mal” (ستعمال) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning use, usage.
Meanings
- use, usage
- instructions for use, way of using
Usage
Sti3mal refers to the act of using something: an object, a medicine, an app, a word. It is often heard with the article, l-isti3mal or sti3mal, in phrases like "sti3mal dyal had l-machina" (the use of this machine) or "mamnou3 l-isti3mal" (use prohibited). The register is somewhat formal: the word comes from written language and is used mainly in instructions, leaflets, the media and at work. In everyday conversation, a verb is often preferred: "kifach kansta3mlo ?" (how do we use it?). The corresponding verb is sta3mel, "to use".
Example
قرا طريقة الستعمال قبل ما تشرب الدوا
9ra tari9at sti3mal 9bel ma tcherb dwa
“Read the instructions for use before taking the medicine.”
Forms
| plural | sti3malat |
|---|
Forms as recorded in DODa, in its spelling.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sti3mal” but also “isti3mal” and “sti3mel”. 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.