3tach عطش
Tunisian Derja · noun
“3tach” (عطش) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning thirst.
Meanings
- thirst
- to be thirsty
Usage
The noun 3tach means thirst. It is used in phrases such as "qtelni el 3tach" (I'm dying of thirst, literally "thirst killed me") or "3andi 3tach" (I'm thirsty). There is also the verb 3tech, "to be thirsty": "3techt" means "I'm thirsty". This is the most frequent form in speech. The corresponding adjective is 3atchan, "thirsty". Note that derja does not use the noun on its own as a predicate. It uses either the verb in the past ("3techt") or the adjective ("ana 3atchan").
Example
عطيني شوية ماء، قتلني العطش
a3tini chwaya me, qtelni el 3tach
“Give me a little water, I'm dying of thirst.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3tach” but also “3tech”, “atach” and “3tash”. 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 “3tach” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “thirst”; “to be thirsty”: 3tech in Moroccan.