Ways to say it
| Moroccan Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| يمّا | yemma | |
| مّي | mmi | also common |
| الوالدة | lwalida | more formal, "the mother" |
مّي (mmi) is another common everyday word for mom, used interchangeably with يمّا in many families. الوالدة (lwalida), 'the mother', is more formal, used when talking about someone's mother in a more neutral or respectful way.
What does it mean word for word?
يمّا likely developed as a child's early word for mother, doubled for warmth, a pattern found in many languages. الوالدة comes from والد, parent, with the feminine ending.
Which one should you use?
يمّا and مّي are what children and adults alike actually call their own mothers. الوالدة is used more when referring to someone's mother in the third person, such as asking about a friend's mom.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
يمّا and مّي are warm and informal, used constantly at home. الوالدة is a touch more formal and respectful.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Both يمّا and مّي are used across Morocco, with some families favoring one over the other without a strict regional divide.
How does it change in a sentence?
يمّا is used as a direct address and does not take a possessive ending, since it already functions as 'my mom' in context.
How do you pronounce it?
يمّا is said with a doubled m, 'YEM-ma', a soft and affectionate sound.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Using الوالدة to address your own mother directly would sound oddly formal. That word is for talking about a mother, not calling to her.
When do people say it?
Moroccan children often call out يمّا the same way children elsewhere call 'mom' or 'mommy', keeping the word close through adulthood.
Did you know?
- يمّا can be used by a mother calling her own child affectionately too, flipping the direction of the word depending on context.
- Doubling simple sounds like م for mother-words appears across many unrelated languages, from Darija يمّا to English 'mama'.
Examples in context
- يمّا، فين الكليدات؟yemma, fin l-clefat?Mom, where are the keys?
- مّي كتطيب الكسكس نهار الجمعة.mmi kathtayyeb l-couscous nhar j-juma.Mom cooks couscous on Fridays.
- كيفاش الوالدة ديالك؟kifash lwalida dyalek?How is your mother?
Example conversation
Son Hamza calls his mother Naima while he is at work.
- Hamzaيمّا، لاباس عليك؟yemma, labas alik?Mom, are you well?
- Naimaلاباس ولدي، كيفاش الخدمة؟labas weldi, kifash l-khedma?I'm fine my son, how is work?
- Hamzaمزيان، غادي نجي عندك هاد العشية.mzyan, ghadi nji andek had l-3shiya.Good, I'll come to your place this evening.
- Naimaواخا يمّا، كنتسناك.wakha yemma, kantsennak.Okay dear, I'll be waiting for you.
