bta بطى
Tunisian Derja · verb
“bta” (بطى) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to take long, be late.
Meanings
- to take long, be late
- to keep someone waiting
- to be slow
Usage
The verb bta (imperfect yebta) is very common in the sense of "to take long, take time". It is often heard as 3lech btit ? ("why did you take so long?") or in the recommendation ma tebtach ("don't take long"). The construction bta 3lik / bta 3lih means "he kept you waiting" or "it took long for you". The verb is used for people and things alike: el kar bta ("the bus is late"). Note: bta describes slowness or a delay, not necessarily being past the exact time of a specific appointment.
Example
علاش بطيت؟ قعدت نستنا فيك برشا
3lech btit? 9a3adt nestanna fik barcha
“Why did you take so long? I waited for you a long time.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bta” but also “btit”, “yebta”, “ybta”, “btat” and “batta”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find بطى and بطا, all the same word.
Type “bta” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
The same word also exists in Algerian Darja, written بطا, where it means “to be late, take long”; “to stay somewhere long”: bta in Algerian.