ftar فطر
Tunisian Derja · verb
“ftar” (فطر) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning have breakfast.
Meanings
- have breakfast
- break the fast
- eat, have a meal
Usage
A very common verb, pronounced ftar in the past ("he had breakfast") and yoftor in the present. The meaning depends on the time. In the morning, it means having breakfast, ftour. During Ramadan, it means breaking the fast at sunset. People often ask "ftart?" to find out whether someone has eaten. With a complement, ftar b- specifies what was eaten: ftart b9ahwa w 5obza. An English speaker should watch out for one trap during Ramadan: ftar can also mean "not to fast", that is, to eat during the day. The sentence and the time of year show which meaning is intended.
Example
فطرت بكري اليوم قبل ما نمشي للخدمة.
ftart bekri lyoum 9bal ma nemchi lel 5edma.
“I had breakfast early today before going to work.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ftar” but also “fter”, “f6ar”, “ftart” and “yoftor”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 6 is emphatic ta (ط).