zle9 زلق
Moroccan Darija · verb
“zle9” (زلق) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to slip, to slide.
Meanings
- to slip, to slide
- to tackle (football)
Usage
Zle9 is the common verb for "to slip": you slip on a wet floor, on a banana peel, on ice. In the present tense, you say kanzle9 or kayzle9. With the preposition 3la (zle9 3lih), it means in football to tackle an opponent by sliding into him. This sense is very frequent in match commentary and among players. To "make someone slip" or "make someone fall by sliding," the derived form zelle9 is used. For a mistake or a slip of the tongue, other expressions are preferred. The register is neutral and everyday.
Example
كانتسنّا فيك ت زلق بسباب ديك لبنانا
kantsenna fik t zle9 besbab dik lbanana
“I'm waiting for you to slip on that banana.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kanzle9 | zle9t | |
| nta (you, m.) | katzle9 | zle9ti | zle9 |
| nti (you, f.) | katzl9i | zle9ti | zl9i |
| howa (he) | kayzle9 | zle9 | |
| hiya (she) | katzle9 | zl9at | |
| 7na (we) | kanzl9o | zl9na | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katzl9o | zl9to | zl9o |
| homa (they) | kayzl9o | zl9o |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “zle9” but also “zl9”, “zleq” and “zla9”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.