3tech عطش
Moroccan Darija · noun
“3tech” (عطش) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning thirst.
Meanings
- thirst
- to be thirsty
Usage
As a noun, l3tech means thirst. You say qtlni l3tech (thirst is killing me) or mt b l3tech (I'm dying of thirst). The same word is also used as a verb: 3techt (I was thirsty), ka-n3tech (I'm thirsty). To simply say "I'm thirsty", the adjective is most often used: ana 3tchan, or 3tchana for a woman. The word comes up often during Ramadan and in summer, when it is very hot.
Example
قتلني العطش، عطيني شي كاس ديال الما
qtlni l3tech, 3tini chi kas dyal lma
“I'm dying of thirst, give me a glass of water.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3tech” but also “3tch”, “3tach” and “3tash”. 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.
Type “3tech” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “thirst”; “to be thirsty”: 3tach in Tunisian.