martba مرتبة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“martba” (مرتبة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning rank, place in a ranking.
Meanings
- rank, place in a ranking
- mattress
Usage
Martba is used mostly for the place obtained in a ranking, especially in sports or school: "jet fel martba el thenya" (she came second), "martba mouchrifa" (an honorable ranking). It is also used to place something on a scale of seriousness: "fi martbat el qatl" (on the level of a murder). In domestic life, the same word means the mattress. Context is enough to tell the two senses apart. Neutral register; the sense of rank is frequent in the media and in football conversations.
Example
الفريق جا في المرتبة الثانية.
el ferik ja fel martba eth-thenya.
“The team finished second.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “martba” but also “martaba”, “mertba” and “mortaba”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.