ma7al محل
Tunisian Derja · noun
“ma7al” (محل) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning shop, store.
Meanings
- shop, store
- premises, place
Usage
Ma7all means a shop, a store or, more broadly, commercial premises. It is often specified with mta3: ma7all mta3 sbabeth ("a shoe shop"). It is more neutral, even slightly more refined, than 7anout, which suggests rather a small grocery or neighbourhood stall. The French word "magasin" is also heard in conversation. The plural is ma7allet. In a more formal register, ma7all can mean "place" or "location".
Example
حلّ محلّ جديد قدّام الدار
7all ma7all jdid 9odem eddar
“A new shop opened across from the house.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ma7al” but also “ma7all”, “mahal”, “m7al” and “ma7el”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.
Type “ma7al” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “shop, store”; “commercial premises”: ma7al in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “shop, store”; “commercial premises”: mahal in Algerian.