tjahel تجاهل
Moroccan Darija · verb
“tjahel” (تجاهل) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to ignore someone, pretend not to see.
Meanings
- to ignore someone, pretend not to see
- to disregard, overlook
Usage
Tjahel means to deliberately ignore a person or a remark. It takes a direct object: tjahelni ("he ignored me"), tjahel lmessage ("he ignored the message"). The word comes from a somewhat formal register but has become well established in everyday use, especially among young people and on social media. In colloquial speech, one also says dar rasso ma chafch ("he acted as if he hadn't seen").
Example
تجاهلني ملي شافني ف الزنقة
tjahelni mlli chafni f zzen9a
“He ignored me when he saw me in the street.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kantja8l | tja8lt | |
| nta (you, m.) | kattja8l | tja8lti | tja8l |
| nti (you, f.) | kattja8li | tja8lti | tja8li |
| howa (he) | kaytja8l | tja8l | |
| hiya (she) | kattja8l | tja8lat | |
| 7na (we) | kantja8lo | tja8lna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | kattja8lo | tja8lto | tja8lo |
| homa (they) | kaytja8lo | tjahlo |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tjahel” but also “tja8el”, “tjahl”, “tja8l” and “tjahal”. 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.