ghates غاطس
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“ghates” (غاطس) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning absorbed, immersed (in an activity).
Meanings
- absorbed, immersed (in an activity)
- submerged, sunk in water
Usage
Ghates is the participle of the verb ghtas (to dive, to plunge). Literally, it describes what is under water or sunk in a liquid. The most frequent use, however, is figurative: being completely caught up in an occupation, to the point of not seeing anything else. The typical construction is ghates fi: "ghates fil 9raya" (immersed in his studies), "ghates fi khedmtou". Depending on context, the nuance can be neutral (focused) or slightly critical (too absorbed, unreachable). The feminine is ghatsa, the plural ghatsin.
Example
ما نجمتش نكلمو، غاطس في القراية.
ma njemtech nkallmou, ghates fil 9raya.
“I couldn't talk to him, he's absorbed in his studies.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ghates” but also “ghatess”, “8ates”, “ghatis” and “ghats”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 8 is light ha (ه) or ghayn (غ), depending on the writer.