9assar el wa9t قصر الوقت
Tunisian Derja · expression
“9assar el wa9t” (قصر الوقت) is an expression in Tunisian Derja meaning to kill time, pass the time.
Meanings
- to kill time, pass the time
- to mess with someone (with b)
Usage
Common, informal expression. 9assar el wa9t is used for a low-stakes activity done just to let time pass: playing cards at the café, chatting, scrolling on your phone. It conjugates normally: n9assrou el wa9t, ya9assar fel wa9t. Built with b and a person, the verb 9assar takes on another sense: to play a trick on someone, tease them or lead them on. 9a99ar bih means "he made a fool of him". Tت9assar biya ? means "are you messing with me?". Pitfall for an English speaker: this verb has nothing to do with "shortening" in the literal sense.
Example
قعدنا في القهوة باش نقصّرو الوقت
9a3dna fel 9ahwa bech n9assrou el wa9t
“We sat at the café to kill time.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9assar el wa9t” but also “9asser el wa9t”, “qassar el wa9t”, “kassar el wakt” and “9a99ar el wa9t”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.