kartha كارثة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“kartha” (كارثة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning disaster, catastrophe.
Meanings
- disaster, catastrophe
- terrible thing or person
Usage
Kartha first means a catastrophe in the literal sense: an accident, a flood, a serious crisis. In conversation, it is mostly used in an exaggerated way to describe a situation, a result or a person judged disastrous: el match kén kartha, "the match was a disaster". It is also heard as an exclamation: kartha!, "what a disaster!". The word comes from Standard Arabic, but it is perfectly common in derja, both spoken and written. The plural kawéreth belongs mainly to media language.
Example
الامتحان كان كارثة، ما فهمت شي
el emti7an ken kartha, ma fhemt chay
“The exam was a disaster, I didn't understand anything.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “kartha” but also “karitha” and “karetha”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “kartha” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “catastrophe, disaster”; “dreadful thing or situation”: karita in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “catastrophe, disaster”; “something or someone awful, useless”: karitha in Algerian.