3arka عركة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“3arka” (عركة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning fight, brawl.
Meanings
- fight, brawl
- quarrel, argument
Usage
3arka refers to a physical fight, but also to a violent verbal quarrel, between neighbours, in a family or in a stadium. One says ṣāret 3arka (a fight broke out) and 3amlou 3arka (they fought, they argued). The related verb is t3ārek (to fight, to argue): t3ārkou fel 7ouma (they fought in the neighbourhood). The plural is 3arkāt. The register is informal but common. For a simple disagreement without a scene, khṣām or mochkla is used instead.
Example
صارت عركة كبيرة قدّام القهوة.
saret 3arka kbira 9oddem el 9ahwa.
“A big fight broke out in front of the café.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3arka” but also “aarka”, “3arkaa”, “3erka” and “arka”. 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.