chtar شطر
Tunisian Derja · noun
“chtar” (شطر) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning half.
Meanings
- half
- share, portion of a whole
Usage
Chtar refers to the half of something. It is used in cooking (chtar kilo, chtar 9arsa), for sharing (chtar el khobza) or for a duration (chtar se3a, half an hour). It goes before the noun it qualifies, without an article. One also hears nos with the same meaning; chtar has a more traditional or regional flavour depending on the speaker. In tales, "chtar mamlakti" means "half of my kingdom". Note: in Standard Arabic, the same word mainly refers to the hemistich of a line of verse, a sense that is rare in conversation.
Example
عطيني شطر الخبزة برك
a3tini chtar el khobza brk
“Just give me half of the loaf.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chtar” but also “shtar”, “chtor” and “chtayer”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.