tterba3 اتربع
Algerian Darja · verb
“tterba3” (اتربع) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning to sit cross-legged.
Meanings
- to sit cross-legged
- to settle comfortably on the floor
Usage
The verb tterba3 describes sitting on the floor with legs crossed, as around a meïda or on a rug. It is mostly used as a participle: g3ed mterba3, "sitting cross-legged". It is also used in the imperative to invite someone to settle in. The register is everyday and informal. By extension, being mterba3 can suggest someone settled in comfortably, with no intention of moving. Pitfall: in practice the word has nothing to do with "four" as a number, even though the root is the same.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tterba3” but also “terba3”, “trabba3” and “atrabbaa”. 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.