ma3koul معقول
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“ma3koul” (معقول) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning reasonable, sensible.
Meanings
- reasonable, sensible
- decent, acceptable (place, price)
- possible, believable (in questions)
Usage
Ma3koul describes remarks, a person, a price or a place judged sensible or decent: klem ma3koul ("sensible words"), soum ma3koul ("a reasonable price"), restaurant ma3koul ("a decent restaurant"). Used alone, in a questioning or indignant tone, it expresses surprise or disbelief: ma3koul ? ("is that possible?", "seriously?"). The negative form moch ma3koul means "it's unacceptable" or "it's unbelievable", depending on context. The feminine is ma3koula. The register is everyday and neutral. The word does not mean "serious" in the sense of "grave".
Example
يعطيه الصحّة , كلام معقول و صحيح
ya3tih essaha , klem ma3koul w shih
“Well done to him, that's sensible and accurate talk.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ma3koul” but also “ma3qoul”, “m3koul”, “ma3kol” and “maakoul”. 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.
Type “ma3koul” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “reasonable, acceptable, fair”; “serious, decent (person)”: m39oul in Moroccan.