sa3at ساعات
Tunisian Derja · adverb
“sa3at” (ساعات) is an adverb in Tunisian Derja meaning sometimes, now and then.
Meanings
- sometimes, now and then
- hours (plural of sa3a)
Usage
Sa3at is the plural of sa3a (hour, watch), but it is very often used as an adverb meaning "sometimes". It is placed at the start of the sentence or before the verb: sa3at nemchi lel b7ar (sometimes I go to the sea). It is readily repeated to contrast two habits: sa3at… w sa3at… (sometimes… other times…). The sense "hours" is still alive: ste'nit sa3at (I waited for hours). Context makes it possible to tell the two uses apart. It is a neutral word, used in all registers.
Example
ساعات نخدم حتى للّيل
sa3at nekhdem 7atta lel lil
“Sometimes I work until night.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sa3at” but also “sa3et”, “saat”, “sa3aat” and “sa3ett”. 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.