5otba خطبة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“5otba” (خطبة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning engagement, marriage proposal.
Meanings
- engagement, marriage proposal
- sermon (especially the Friday sermon)
- formal speech
Usage
Khotba has two common uses in Tunisia. In family life, it is the marriage proposal and then the engagement party: mchew lel khotba, "they went to make the proposal". The related verb is khtob, "to ask for someone's hand", and the fiancée is called makhtouba. In religion, khotba means the imam's sermon, especially khotbet ejjem3a, the Friday sermon. It is used more rarely for an official speech. Context almost always tells the two meanings apart.
Example
الخطبة متاعهم نهار السبت
el 5otba mta3hom nhar essebt
“Their engagement is on Saturday.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “5otba” but also “khotba”, “5outba”, “khoutba” and “5otbaa”. 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.