dhaya3 ضايع
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“dhaya3” (ضايع) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning lost, mislaid.
Meanings
- lost, mislaid
- disoriented, adrift
- wasted, worthless
Usage
Dhaya3 describes a mislaid object (bagage dhaya3, "lost luggage") or a person. For a person, the meaning can be literal, like someone who can't find their way. It can also be moral: someone with no bearings, who no longer knows what to do with their life. In sports or colloquial speech, it also means "useless, lost on the field". The feminine is dhay3a and the plural is dhay3in. The word is related to the verb dhaya3 ("to lose, to mislay").
Example
ثالثا , نردّواه ضايع موش عارف روحه شكون .
thalitahn , ennrodouh dhaya3 mouch 3aref rou7ou achkoun .
“Thirdly, we make him lost, not knowing who he is.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dhaya3” but also “dhaye3”, “daya3” and “dhayi3”. 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.