de9a دقة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“de9a” (دقة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning precision, accuracy.
Meanings
- precision, accuracy
- knock (at the door)
Usage
In the sense of "precision", the word is pronounced di9a or de9a. It is heard mainly in the phrase b-di9a, "precisely, exactly": to explain b-di9a, to measure b-di9a. It comes from Standard Arabic and is used in careful speech, at work or in the media. Pronounced with a g, dagga means a knock, especially at the door (dagga 3al bab). The two readings should not be confused, though Arabic script does not distinguish them. The meaning is deduced from context. The word has no connection with d9i9a, "minute".
Example
قلّي الوقت بالدقة باش ما نتأخرش
9olli el wa9t bel de9a bech ma net2akharch
“Tell me the exact time so that I won't be late.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “de9a” but also “da9a”, “di9a”, “dagga” and “deqa”. 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.