tletha تلاثة
Tunisian Derja · numeral
“tletha” (تلاثة) is a numeral in Tunisian Derja meaning three.
Meanings
- three
Usage
Tlatha is the number three. Used alone or after the noun, it keeps this form: "3andi tlatha" (I have three). Before a plural noun, it is most often reduced to tlatt: "tlatt ayyem" (three days), "tlatt marrat" (three times), although tlatha is also heard. Before thousand, one says "tlatt alef" or "tlath lef". The t replaces the th of Standard Arabic, a typical trait of everyday speech. In arabizi, since the digit 3 is reserved for the letter ayn, the number is written in letters or digits depending on the context.
Example
عندي تلاثة خوات.
3andi tletha khwet.
“I have three sisters.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tletha” but also “tlatha”, “tlata”, “tleta” and “tlethe”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.