momtez ممتاز
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“momtez” (ممتاز) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning excellent, very good.
Meanings
- excellent, very good
- "excellent" grade (school)
Usage
Momtez is a strong expression of approval and applies to a dish, a match or a person. It is also used on its own to answer "perfect!". The word comes from Standard Arabic, but everyone uses it in daily life, with the final a often pronounced è (momtez). It agrees: momtèza in the feminine, momtèzin in the plural. The register is slightly more elevated than behi (good) or mezyèn, which remain more familiar. At school, momtez is also the grade given for the best marks.
Example
الماتش كان ممتاز.
el match ken momtez.
“The match was excellent.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “momtez” but also “mumtez”, “momtaz”, “mumtaz” and “momtèz”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “momtez” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “excellent, perfect”; “great! (approval)”: momtaz in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “excellent, very good quality”; “perfect, great (approval)”: mumtaz in Algerian.