n9ta3 انقطع
Tunisian Derja · verb
“n9ta3” (انقطع) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to be cut off, to stop (power, water, line).
Meanings
- to be cut off, to stop (power, water, line)
- to drop out, to quit (studies)
- to stop seeing someone
Usage
A very common intransitive verb in Tunisia, used mainly of something that stops abruptly: the power, the water, the network, a call. One says, for instance, that the power or the water "got cut". With the preposition "3la", it means to give up an ongoing activity, especially school: n9ta3 3al 9raya, "he dropped out of school". Said of a person, it means to stop coming round or to stop giving news. The register is neutral. Pitfall: the subject is the thing that is cut off, not the person who cuts. To "cut" something, use the active form 9ass.
Example
الضو انقطع البارح الليل الكل
edhaw n9ta3 lbere7 ellil lkoll
“The power was cut all night last night.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “n9ta3” but also “in9ta3”, “en9ta3” and “ngta3”. 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.