mehtaj محتاج
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“mehtaj” (محتاج) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning in need of something.
Meanings
- in need of something
- needy, poor
Usage
Mehtaj is a participle used as an adjective. It most often corresponds to "to need" or "to be in need of". It agrees in gender and number: mehtaja (feminine), mehtajin (plural). It takes a noun directly (ena mehtaj flous) or the preposition l- (mehtaj l-ra7a). Negation uses manich, mech or mouch: manich mehtaj. Used on its own about a person, it means someone poor or in difficulty, often in a charity context. Literally, "ena mehtaj" means "I am in need of".
Example
أنا محتاج شوية فلوس توا
ena mehtaj chwaya flous tawa
“I need a bit of money now.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mehtaj” but also “m7taj”, “me7taj”, “mahtaj” and “mehtej”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.