l9a لقى
Tunisian Derja · verb
“l9a” (لقى) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to find.
Meanings
- to find
- to meet, come across
- to discover, stumble upon
Usage
L9a is the usual verb for "to find". In the past tense: "l9it" (I found), "l9ina" (we found). The imperfect is yal9a or yel9a. The form "tal9a" is also used in a general sense: "tal9ahom…" means "you find them, one finds them…". Common constructions: "l9a 5edma" (to find a job), "l9a rou7ou" (to find oneself in a situation), "ma l9itech" (I didn't find). For "to meet each other", "tla9a" is used instead. In some regions it is pronounced lga.
Example
تلقاهم ياكلوا فال زلابية
tal9ahom yèklou fel zlabia
“You find them eating zlabia.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “l9a” but also “lqa”, “lga”, “l9it”, “yal9a” and “lka”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find لقى and لقا, all the same word.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “l9a” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
The same word also exists in Moroccan Darija, written لقا, where it means “to find”; “to meet, run into someone”: l9a in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to find, come across”; “to meet someone by chance”: lqa in Algerian.