9at3an قطعا
Moroccan Darija · adverb
“9at3an” (قطعا) is an adverb in Moroccan Darija meaning absolutely not, under no circumstances.
Meanings
- absolutely not, under no circumstances
- certainly, definitely
Usage
The word 9at3an comes from standard Arabic and belongs to a somewhat formal register, but it is heard in conversation to firmly emphasise an answer, especially a negative one: 9at3an, or ma ghadi nemchi 9at3an, I absolutely won't go. Used alone as an answer, it generally means "not at all", which can surprise an English speaker expecting the sense "certainly". In everyday speech, more colloquial equivalents are often preferred, such as b sse7 for affirmation or abadan for negation.
Example
واش غادي تمشي معاهم؟ قطعا، ما غاديش
wach ghadi temchi m3ahom? 9at3an, ma ghadich
“Are you going with them? Absolutely not, I'm not going.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9at3an” but also “qat3an” and “qa6a3an”. 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; 6 is emphatic ta (ط); 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.