tkhabba تخبى
Tunisian Derja · verb
“tkhabba” (تخبى) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to hide (oneself).
Meanings
- to hide (oneself)
- to take cover
Usage
Reflexive form of khabba, "to hide". Tkhabba means "to hide oneself", literally or figuratively. The place is specified with wra ("behind") or taht ("under"): tkhabba wra el-bab, "he hid behind the door". The verb form is the same in the perfect and the masculine imperative (tkhabba!, "hide!"). The imperfect is yetkhabba. Hide-and-seek is called ghommayed or by a phrase built on this verb. Pitfall: don't confuse with khabba, transitive ("to hide something"). Common in all registers.
Example
الصغير تخبّى تحت الفرش كي سمع الرعد
es-sghir tkhabba taht el-farch ki sma3 er-ra3d
“The little one hid under the bed when he heard the thunder.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tkhabba” but also “tkhaba”, “tkhabbe”, “t5abba” and “tkhabbà”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.