tadhyi3 تضييع
Tunisian Derja · noun
“tadhyi3” (تضييع) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning waste (of time).
Meanings
- waste (of time)
- losing, misplacing
Usage
Tadhyi3 is the verbal noun of dhayya3 (to lose, waste, mislay). It is heard mostly in the fixed expression "tadhyi3 wa9t" (a waste of time), used to criticize a meeting, class or procedure seen as pointless. One also says "tadhyi3 flous" (a waste of money). The register is neutral, slightly more polished than the verb itself: in everyday speech, people often say "dhayya3t wa9ti" (I wasted my time). The word is often placed at the end of a sentence as a verdict: "hedhi tadhyi3 wa9t".
Example
الاجتماع هذا تضييع وقت، ما خرجنا بحتى شي.
el ijtima3 hedha tadhyi3 wa9t, ma khrajna b7atta chay.
“This meeting is a waste of time, we came out with nothing.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tadhyi3” but also “tadhyee3” and “tadyi3”. 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.