dhe9 ذاق
Tunisian Derja · verb
“dhe9” (ذاق) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to taste (a dish, a drink).
Meanings
- to taste (a dish, a drink)
- to experience, go through (hardship)
Usage
A common verb, which keeps the interdental "dh" sound in Tunisia. In the past tense, you say dheq or dhaq ("he tasted"). The imperative dhouq ("taste") comes up often in cooking: you have someone taste a dish to check the salt. The negation follows the pattern "ma dhe9tech" (I did not taste). In the figurative sense, which is more literary, it means "to experience": "dheq el-mrar" (he has known bitterness).
Example
ذوق الشربة قبل ما تزيد الملح
dhou9 ech-chorba 9bal ma tzid el meleh
“Taste the soup before adding salt.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dhe9” but also “dha9”, “dheq” and “dhaq”. 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.