tlettach تلتاش
Moroccan Darija · numeral
“tlettach” (تلتاش) is a numeral in Moroccan Darija meaning thirteen.
Meanings
- thirteen
Usage
The numeral tlettach means thirteen. Like the other numbers from eleven to nineteen, it takes the ending -ach. Before a noun it becomes tlettachel, followed by the noun in the singular: tlettachel 3am (thirteen years). The register is everyday. For an English speaker, the pitfall is the noun that follows: it stays singular, whereas English uses the plural. The simple form tlettach is used when the number stands alone, for example to answer a question or to give the time.
Example
عندو تلتاش العام
3ando tlettach l3am
“He is thirteen years old.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tlettach” but also “tltach”, “tlatach” and “tletach”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.