m9atta3 مقطع
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“m9atta3” (مقطع) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning torn, ripped.
Meanings
- torn, ripped
- cut into pieces
- worn out, broken (emotionally)
Usage
M9atta3, with a doubled t, is the participle of 9atta3 (to cut into pieces, to tear). It is used mostly for a damaged garment or object: serwel m9atta3, torn trousers. In cooking, it means "cut into pieces". Figuratively, it describes an exhausted person or shattered morale: nafsiti m9att3a. Be careful not to confuse it with maq9a3, without doubling. That Standard Arabic word means "extract" or "video clip", and it often appears in writing on social media.
Example
سروالو مقطّع من الركبة
serwelou m9atta3 mel rokba
“His trousers are torn at the knee.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “m9atta3” but also “m9ata3”, “mgata3”, “mkatta3” and “m9at3a”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.