fet فات
Tunisian Derja · verb
“fet” (فات) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to pass, be over.
Meanings
- to pass, be over
- to exceed, go beyond
- to miss, slip away from someone
Usage
Fet (imperfect: yfout) first expresses the idea of passing. It applies to time ("elli fet", what is past) and to place ("fet 3la el-dar", he passed by the house). The verb also means to exceed a limit, as in "fet el-ma39oul" (it's beyond all reason). With an object pronoun, it takes the meaning "to miss": "fetetni el-kar" means "I missed the coach." Here the coach is the grammatical subject, not the person. This is a common pitfall for an English speaker.
Example
اللي فات مات
elli fet met
“What's past is past.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “fet” but also “fat”, “fett” and “faat”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “fet” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to pass, elapse (time)”; “to surpass, get ahead of”: fat in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to pass (time, place)”; “to surpass, to overtake”: fat in Algerian.