trda3 تردع
Tunisian Derja · verb
“trda3” (تردع) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to calm down, settle down.
Meanings
- to calm down, settle down
- to be deterred, learn a lesson
Usage
The verb yirda3 (here trda3, "he/she settles down") is said of someone who stops behaving badly, usually after a punishment or a warning. It is often used for a child or a troublemaker: "5allih yrda3", "let him settle down, let him learn his lesson". The transitive form radda3 or rda3 means "to put someone in their place, deter". The register is everyday. Note: the meaning does not match the neutral sense of "deter", since it implies bad behavior that is being made to stop.
Example
عاقبو باش يردع شوية.
3a9bou bech yrda3 chwaya.
“Punish him so he settles down a bit.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “trda3” but also “tirda3” and “trdaa”. 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.