5assatan خاصة
Tunisian Derja · adverb
“5assatan” (خاصة) is an adverb in Tunisian Derja meaning especially, in particular.
Meanings
- especially, in particular
- private, special
Usage
5assatan or 5assa, used as an adverb, puts emphasis on an element: "especially", "notably". It is often used before ba3d or ki: 5assa ba3d elli sar, "especially after what happened". The word comes from Standard Arabic, but it is common in speech, with a slightly polished nuance. After a feminine noun, 5assa is an adjective: madrsa 5assa, "private school"; 7ala 5assa, "special case". Context makes it possible to tell the adverb from the adjective.
Example
نحب البحر خاصة في الصيف
n7eb lb7ar 5assatan fi sif
“I love the sea, especially in summer.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “5assatan” but also “5asatan”, “5assa”, “khassatan” and “khassa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.
Type “5assatan” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “especially, in particular”; “special (feminine of khass)”: khassatan in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “especially, particularly”; “special, private (feminine adjective)”: khassa in Algerian.