ra را

Tunisian Derja · verb

“ra” (را) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to see, to notice.

Meanings

1. to see, to notice
2. (trah) come on, please

Usage

Ra means "see" and is commonly used in the past tense: rit (I saw), ritou (I saw him), rit-ha (I saw her), ra (he saw). It coexists with chef, which has the same meaning. The form trah, literally "you see it", serves as an emphatic interjection to urge someone on or soften a request: "give me the answer, trah", a bit like "come on" or "please". An English speaker should not translate trah as "you see" in this case: it is a discourse particle, very common in speech and on social media.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ra” but also “raa” and “rè”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “ra” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “presentative particle, "it's that"”; “emphasis, "mind you"”: ra in Moroccan.

In Algerian Darja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “presentative particle: here is, look”; “marks a present state ("to be")”: ra in Algerian.