khateb خاطب
Tunisian Derja · verb
“khateb” (خاطب) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to address someone.
Meanings
- to address someone
- suitor (noun)
Usage
Khateb, in the sense of "to address", belongs to a rather formal register. It is found in speeches, narratives and the press: "khateb ech-cha3b", "he addressed the people". It is directly transitive. In everyday conversation, people simply say kallem, "to speak to". As a noun, khateb also refers to the man who comes to ask for a girl's hand in marriage, for example in "jeha khateb", "a suitor has come for her". This sense is very common in family talk.
Example
الرئيس خاطب الشعب في التلفزة
ra2is khateb ech-cha3b fi ttelfza
“The president addressed the people on television.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khateb” but also “5ateb”, “khatib” and “5atib”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.
Type “khateb” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “suitor, fiancé”; “to address (formal)”: khateb in Moroccan.