wa9teh وقتاه
Tunisian Derja · adverb
“wa9teh” (وقتاه) is an adverb in Tunisian Derja meaning when? (interrogative).
Meanings
- when? (interrogative)
Usage
Wa9teh is a variant of wa9tech, the interrogative "when?". It often comes at the start of a sentence: "wa9teh tsakker el boutique?" (when does the shop close?). With the preposition men, "men wa9teh?" means "since when?". This form is often used to challenge something rhetorically: "men wa9teh hedha?", roughly "since when is it like this?". Wa9tech is more frequent overall, but both forms are understood everywhere. For non-interrogative "when" ("when he comes"), waqt elli or ki is used instead.
Example
وقتاه تحل البوسطة؟
wa9teh t7ell el bousta?
“When does the post office open?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “wa9teh” but also “wa9tah”, “waqteh”, “wa9tèh” and “waktah”. 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.