tmchcha تمشّا
Moroccan Darija · verb
“tmchcha” (تمشّا) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to stroll, take a walk.
Meanings
- to stroll, take a walk
- to walk
Usage
Tmechcha means above all to stroll, wander, or take a walk with no particular aim: in the garden, by the sea, in town. It is different from mcha, which means "to go, to leave". The two are easily confused: mcha l-dar means "he went home", whereas tmechcha f l-blad means "he went for a walk in town". In the imperfect, you say kantmechcha (I'm going for a walk). The word is also used for walking, for example in "tmechcha b chwiya" (walk slowly). The related noun is tmechya, meaning a walk or stroll.
Example
بغيتي تمشا شوية؟
bghiti tmcha chwia?
“Do you want to go for a little walk?”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kantmchcha | tmchchit | |
| nta (you, m.) | kattmchcha | tmchchiti | tmchcha |
| nti (you, f.) | kattmchchay | tmchchiti | tmchchay |
| howa (he) | kaytmchcha | tmchcha | |
| hiya (she) | kattmchcha | tmchchat | |
| 7na (we) | kantmchchaw | tmchchina | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | kattmchchaw | tmchchito | tmchchaw |
| homa (they) | kaytmchchaw | tmchchaw |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tmchcha” but also “tmecha”, “tmechcha”, “tmcha” and “tmsha”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.