Vocabulary:

-          “il yu:m” or simply [l yu :m], means {today}, the word is made up of the article “il” which can also be pronounced “l”, and the word “yu:m” which is “today”.

-          “(h)akkeke w barra”, means “so-so”. This phrase is also used when to give one’s opinion about the quality of some thing or a product. The word “hakkeke w barra” means “in that way and so on”. “hakkeke”, means “in that way/ using that procedure”, when used in this sense, it can also be pronounced “hakke” or “hakkeye”, but it means “in this way/ using this procedure”. Tunisians, when asking about doing something might ask “hakke:ye welle hakkeke”, [shall I do it this way or that way?]. There is another expression often used by Tunisians, it is “hakke tawwe?”, it is used when you are deceived about what some one did, and you did not expect it to be that way, so the expression is “how can it be rendered this way?”.

-          “e:khi”; has two meanings, when used in declarative sentence, it means “so, then, therefore”. But, when it comes at the head of an interrogative sentence, it is used as a help-term before the question to be asked, and the word has a meaning of guessing through asking.

-          “(e:)sh femme?”; means “what’s up?”. But, it literally means “what is there?”. [e:sh?] is “what?”, but it is only used before a verb. There is another “what” used before nouns, and it is “shnowwe”. But both words might be pronounced [sh’ +Verb or Noun], as a contracted form.

-          “me femme shey”; means “there is nothing”. The structure [me …….shey] is [no…….thing]. it is used to make negation to verbs. The verb is intercalated between [me] and [shey] . so to make a negated verb in the present and the past, just put the verb in the middle.

Remember; [me + Verb (in the present or the past) + shey].

But, Tunisians, when using this structure, do not use the word “shey”, but its contracted form [sh’] preceded by the verb. When using “shey”, it is just to insist that nothing is or was done.

-          “(i)nsha:lle lebe:s”. “insha:lle or nsha:lle” means “if God wills”. And it is means “I wish so/ May it be so.” The meaning might change in the sentence according to its use.

So, “nsha:lle lebe:s”, means “I wish that if it is in accordance with God’s will, you recover”.

-          “Alla me ywarri:k be:s”, means “may God never make you see evil”, is a very typical and old expression, mostly used by old people. Teenagers and young people do not use such expression. A similar one is [alla me ywerri:k gh’ya:r], this expression, too, is used by old people. It is often used when to give one’s condolences to some one, its meaning is [may God never make you see such awful event]. The event might be (death, disease, sickness etc). Young people, when asked such a question, the answer might simply be in thanking; “(yi)3aysh’k”.

-          “sh’qawlk f ’ ke:s te:y”, means “what if we have a cup of tea”. The expression [sh’qawlk f ’ + (noun)]. Is used when to propose to make, to give or to buy some thing for some one.

“ke:s” is cup. “te:y” is tea. [a cup of tea], is “ke:s te:y”, note that the word “of” is not used here, which is “mte:3”, we have seen this word before. But when we say “ke:s mte:3 te:y”, we do not mean the tea itself, but, the shape of the cup which is teacup.

Exercise:

1)  Translate the following sentences into Tunisian:

-          What is your name?

-          ………………………………………………………...…

-          How are you doing?

-          ………………………………………………….………..

-          Are you ok?

-          …………………………………………………………...

-   What’s happened here?

-   ……………………………………………………..……

-   I wish you will be alright.

-   …………………………………………………………..

-   what if you take a cup of water?

-………………………………………………………………

2)  What would you answer if you were asked the questions above?

-          …………………………………………………………..

-          …………………………………………………………..

-          …………………………………………………………..

-          …………………………………………………………..

-          …………………………………………………………..

-          …………………………………………………………..

3) Make another dialogue using the article “intume”.