khater خاتر
Tunisian Derja · conjunction
“khater” (خاتر) is a conjunction in Tunisian Derja meaning because, as.
Meanings
- because, as
- since
Usage
Khater is the most common causal conjunction in Tunisian. It directly introduces a clause: "ma jitech khater kont mridh" (I didn't come because I was sick). It is also used alone in reply to "3lech ?" (why?), much like "because" in casual English. The variant "3la khater" exists with the same meaning. The word belongs to all spoken registers. Do not confuse it with the noun "khater" (spirit, desire), found in expressions like "3la khatrek" (for you, out of regard for you).
Example
ما جيتش خاتر كنت مريض.
ma jitech khater kont mridh.
“I didn't come because I was sick.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khater” but also “5ater”, “khatr” and “5atr”. 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.