wa9tech وقتاش
Tunisian Derja · adverb
“wa9tech” (وقتاش) is an adverb in Tunisian Derja meaning when? (interrogative).
Meanings
- when? (interrogative)
- when, at the time that
Usage
Wa9tech is the most common question word for time in Tunisia: "wa9tech tji?" (when are you coming?). It can also introduce a subordinate clause, meaning "when, at the time that": "wa9tech t7eb" (whenever you want). "Min wa9tech" means "since when", often with a nuance of surprise or reproach. There is a shortened variant, "wa9teh". It should not be confused with "ki", which means "when" in the sense of "once" in an affirmative sentence: "ki nji" (when I come). The 9 in arabizi stands for the emphatic q.
Example
ولّاهي موجود وقتاش تحبّ نجيب لكم
Walahi mawjoud wa9tech t7eb njibelkom
“I swear it's available, when do you want me to bring it to you?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “wa9tech” but also “wa9tesh”, “wa9tach” and “waqtech”. 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.
Type “wa9tech” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “when? (interrogative)”: w9tach in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “when? (interrogative)”; “at what time (indirect question)”: wa9tach in Algerian.