9et قط
Algerian Darja · noun
“9et” (قط) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning cat.
Meanings
- cat
Usage
Qett, pronounced gett in some regions, means the cat. The common plurals are qtat and qtut. The female is called qetta. Depending on the region, you also hear mech, for the cat, and qattous, in a more affectionate register. The word is used for the house pet as well as for stray neighborhood cats. In informal language, it can appear in comparisons, for example for someone who is cunning or who always lands on their feet. Be careful not to confuse it with qatt, "never", a Standard Arabic word rarely used in darja.
Example
القط راه راقد فوق الكنابي.
el qett rah raqed fouq el kanapé.
“The cat is sleeping on the sofa.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9et” but also “qet”, “gatt”, “9att” and “get”. 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.