khmastachen خمسطاشن
Tunisian Derja · numeral
“khmastachen” (خمسطاشن) is a numeral in Tunisian Derja meaning fifteen (before a noun).
Meanings
- fifteen (before a noun)
Usage
Khmastachen is the form of "fifteen" used directly before a noun. On its own, you say khmastach. Followed by a noun, you add -en: "khmastachen d9i9a" (fifteen minutes), "khmastachen dinar". The noun stays singular after this number, as after all the numbers from eleven to nineteen. The same pattern applies to the other numbers in the series: "7dachen", "tna3chen", "3achtachen". The word is very frequent for durations, prices and quantities.
Example
جيت من خمسطاشن دقيقة
jit men khmastachen d9i9a
“I arrived fifteen minutes ago.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khmastachen” but also “5mastachen”, “khmestachen”, “5mestachen” and “khmastachn”. 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.