9ta3 قطع

Tunisian Derja · verb

“9ta3” (قطع) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to cut.

Meanings

1. to cut
2. to cross (a street, a road)
3. to cut off, interrupt (power, water)

Usage

9ta3 (imperfect ye9ta3) first means "to cut" with an instrument: bread, meat, hair. It is also used for "to cross": 9ta3 ech-che3a, "cross the street". It is also used for an outage: 9at3ou edhaw, "they cut the electricity". Figuratively, 9ta3 m3ah means "to break off with someone", and 9ta3 el klem "to interrupt the conversation". The participle ma9tou3 means "cut" or "interrupted". Depending on the region, the first consonant is pronounced q or g, hence the spellings 9ta3 and gta3.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9ta3” but also “gta3”, “qta3” and “kta3”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.

Type “9ta3” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to cut, cut into pieces”; “to cut off, interrupt (power, contact)”: 9tte3 in Moroccan.

In Algerian Darja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to cut into pieces, chop”; “to tear up”: 9atta3 in Algerian.