wa9tha وقتها
Tunisian Derja · adverb
“wa9tha” (وقتها) is an adverb in Tunisian Derja meaning then, at that moment.
Meanings
- then, at that moment
- back then
Usage
Waqtha literally means "its moment". It is the common adverb for "then", "at that moment". In a narrative, it marks the next step: waqtha fhem (then he understood). It is also very frequent in recipes and in directions. It can refer to the past, as in "back then": fi beli waqtha (I believed at the time). It should be distinguished from waqtelli (when, at the moment when), which is a conjunction followed by a verb. Waqtha is used on its own to pick up that moment.
Example
وقتها ارمي كعبات البريك خلّيهم دقيقة في زيت الدافي
wa9tha armi k3ibet elbrik khalihom d9i9a fi zit eldeifi
“Then drop in the brik squares and leave them a minute in the hot oil.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “wa9tha” but also “w9tha”, “wa9t8a” and “waqtha”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 8 is light ha (ه) or ghayn (غ), depending on the writer; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.