3otla عطلة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“3otla” (عطلة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning holiday, time off.
Meanings
- holiday, time off
- public holiday, day off
Usage
3otla is the usual word for "holiday" or "time off". You say el 3otla essayfiya for the summer holidays, 3otla madrasiya for school holidays, and nhar 3otla for a public holiday or a day without work. You say 3andi 3otla for "I'm on leave". The word is used in writing as well as in speech, with no register marking. In speech, you often hear the borrowing vacance, especially for summer holidays, but 3otla remains the standard term in administration and at school. It is generally pronounced 3otla.
Example
وقتاش تبدا العطلة؟
wa9tech tebda el 3otla?
“When do the holidays start?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3otla” but also “3atla”, “3outla” and “otla”. 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 “3otla” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “holiday, vacation, leave”; “public holiday, day off”: 3otla in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “holiday, vacation”; “leave, day off”: 3otla in Algerian.