5tar ختار
Tunisian Derja · verb
“5tar” (ختار) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to choose.
Meanings
- to choose
- to prefer, opt for
Usage
Khtar is the past tense form, "he chose." The present is yekhtar: nekhtar "I choose," tekhtar "you choose." The imperative is ekhtar, "choose!" The word is very common and neutral, used in shops, restaurants, or when facing an important decision. It takes a direct object, as in "khtar el ma9rouna" ("he chose the pasta"). It can also be followed by a clause: "khtar yo93od" ("he chose to stay"). In written arabizi, kh is often written 5. The corresponding noun is ikhtiyar, "choice."
Example
ختار اللي يعجبك
5tar elli ya3jbek
“Choose what you like.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “5tar” but also “khtar”, “ekhtar”, “5taar” and “ikhtar”. 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 “5tar” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to choose, select”; “to prefer, opt for”: khtar in Moroccan.