stter سطّر
Moroccan Darija · verb
“stter” (سطّر) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to draw lines, underline.
Meanings
- to draw lines, underline
- to plan, set (a goal)
Usage
Sttr first means to draw lines or underline: at school, "sttr 3la l-kelma" means to underline the word, and "sttr l-kahier" to rule the lines of a notebook. Present: kaysttr; imperative: sttr. In a more polished register, notably in the media, it takes the sense of planning or setting: "sttr lhdaf dyalo" (he set his goals). The related noun, star (plural stour), means a line of writing. Pitfall for an English speaker: the construction with 3la for "underline" something.
Example
سطّر على الكلمات الصعيبة
sttr 3la lkalimat ss3iba
“Underline the difficult words.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kansTTer | sTTert | |
| nta (you, m.) | katsTTer | sTTerti | sTTer |
| nti (you, f.) | katsTTri | sTTerti | sTTri |
| howa (he) | kaysTTer | sTTer | |
| hiya (she) | katsTTer | sTTrat | |
| 7na (we) | kansTTro | sTTrna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katsTTro | sTTerto | sTTro |
| homa (they) | kaysTTro | sTTro |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “stter” but also “sttr”, “setter” and “str”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “stter” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “line of text”; “stroke, row”: star in Tunisian.