tfatta9 تفطق
Tunisian Derja · verb
“tfatta9” (تفطق) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to burst, to crack open.
Meanings
- to burst, to crack open
- to have a blast (slang)
Usage
Tfatta9 is the reflexive form of fatta9, "to burst open". It is said of things that split or burst: an overripe fruit, a tire, a pipe, chapped skin. In young people's slang it also means "to have a blast", i.e. to have a lot of fun. This shift is similar to the one in French. It is also found in "tfatta9 bel dh7ak", "to burst out laughing". Only context distinguishes the literal from the figurative sense.
Example
الدلاعة تفطقت من السخانة.
eddella3a tfatt9et mel s5ana.
“The watermelon burst open because of the heat.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tfatta9” but also “tfata9”, “tfattek” and “tfatta9t”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.