7attan حطان
Tunisian Derja · noun
“7attan” (حطان) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning putting, placing.
Meanings
- putting, placing
- appointment, installation to a post
Usage
Hattan is the action noun of the verb hatt, "to put, to place". It refers to putting something somewhere, or a step in a sequence of actions: "ba3d 7attan el7lib", "after putting in the milk". It is also used figuratively for placing someone in a post or installing them in power. The word is very common in speech and in all informal registers. English has no direct nominal equivalent: it is usually translated by a gerund ("putting") or a phrase like "the act of putting".
Example
بعد حطان الماء في الكسكاس، شعل النار
ba3d 7attan elma fel keskes, cha3el ennar
“After putting the water in the couscoussier, light the fire.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7attan” but also “hattan”, “7atan” and “hatan”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.