3tas عطس

Tunisian Derja · verb

“3tas” (عطس) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to sneeze.

Meanings

1. to sneeze

Usage

Common verb for "to sneeze". In the imperfective, one says ya3tes, "he sneezes", and in the imperative o3tes. The action noun is 3atsa, "a sneeze". The verb is used without a complement; to specify direction, add 3la or fi wejh, as in 3tas fi wejhi, "he sneezed in my face". It often comes up when talking about a cold, an allergy, or politeness on public transport. After a sneeze, one usually says yar7mek Allah. The word has no particular figurative meaning in Tunisia.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3tas” but also “3tes”, “3atas” and “atass”. 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 “3tas” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to sneeze”: 3tes in Moroccan.