3tsa عطسة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“3tsa” (عطسة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning sneeze.
Meanings
- sneeze
Usage
A feminine noun meaning a sneeze. It is formed from the verb 3tes (to sneeze). It is used in phrases like jatni 3tsa (a sneeze came over me) or 3tsa qwiya (a strong sneeze). The plural 3tsat is used to talk about several sneezes. In practice, the verb is often preferred to the noun: one would more naturally say 3test than drbt 3tsa. The word recalls the usual politeness ritual: l-hamdu lillah, then yrhmk llah.
Example
جاتني عطسة قوية فوسط الاجتماع
jatni 3tsa qwiya f west l-ijtima3
“A strong sneeze came over me in the middle of the meeting.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3tsa” but also “3atsa” and “3etsa”. 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.