The Fifth Lesson                 id-ders l-5a:ms

Dialogue:

A: 3andik sti:lu ze:yid, ama:n?

B: le, me 3andi:sh. 3andi we:7id barka.

A: ya rabbi! 7atte 7add me 3andu stilo ze:yed?

B: u shbi:k inti ma 3andik’sh sti:lu?

A: 3andi stilu:, fi be:li fis-sa:k, e:khi ha:u mush lihne.

B: ha:u stilu:ye, kado li:k ye si:di. l-marraj-je:ye rodd be:lik.

A: Sa:ra 3andik stilo? 3aysh 5u:ye.

A: Do you have an extra pen, please?

B: No, I don’t have. I have only one.

A: Oh God! No one have an extra pen?

B: And, how come you don’t have a pen?

A: I have a pen. I thought it was in the bag, but it is not here.

B: Here is my pen, a present for you (my dear) my Lord. Next time be careful.

A: So, you do have a pen? Thank you (my) brother.

Vocabulary:

l  “sti:lu” or “stilo”, it is the same word and can be pronounced in a Tunisian or French way. It means “pen”.

l  “ze:yid” is an adjective in the masculine form, it means “extra”. “kle:m ze:yid” is “extra words”. Guess what extra words can be in Tunisian? It means bad words, since bad words are truly extra words. But, the sad thing is that many Tunisians and almost all of them, when speaking do always squeeze in bad words.

l  “ama:n” means please. You can also use the thanking formula “3aysh + objective pronoun”. It also can be used to mean please. As you can use both in the same sentence, in any order you want.

l  “3and + possessive adjective” means to have, to get.

Remember; be careful to the pronunciation and to the stress in the word, the adjective and the verb. But if the verb is in the negative form, so the stress of the verbs always fall on the last syllable.

Remember: the negative form of the verbs in the present and the past is always [me + Verb+sh]. And we said before that “me” means “no”, and “sh” means “thing”. The “sh” is the contracted form of “shey”.

l  See the Examples below:

1.         3andi kte:b.

2.         me 3andi:sh.

3.         me 3andi:sh kte:b.

4.         me 3andi shey.

5.         me 3andi 7atte kte:b

6.         me 3andi:sh 7atte kte:b.

I have a book.

I do not have.

I do not have a book.

I do not have anything.

I have no book.

I do not have even one.    

The example (1) and (2) are easy to understand.

(2) and (4) are also understandable. When we use “shey” not in its contracted form “sh”, so the meaning is insisting on the fact that we do not have anything.

(5) and (6) have the same meaning although a different translation is used for both sentences. In such an example the sentence can be inversed “7atte kte:b me 3andi” but the (6) sentence cannot be inversed unless the verb is not negated.

Note that when the verb is negated, the stress always falls on the last syllable of the verb before “sh”. But when the “shey” form is used, so the stress remains on its place which is the first syllable of the verb. Example: 3andi / me 3andi shey / me 3andi:ch.

l  “shbi:k” What’s up, what’s wrong (+ with you)?, in Tunisian the expression “what’s up” must always be followed by an objevtive pronoun. To answer saying “fine, there is nothing”, you might say “me biyyae shey”.

l  “rodd be:lik”, means “be careful” or “pay attention”. But literally is “turn back to your mind”. “Rodd” has also the meaning of an imperative verb “do vomit!”

l  “mush” means “not to be”, it renders all of the following English uses; am not, is not and are not (only in the present form). It can be used as follows:

-  Ene mush rabbi.          =  I am not God

-  Mush ene               =  it is not I (me)

-  Huwwe mush be:hi       = he is not good.

-  Hu:me mush minn Emri:ke. = They are not from the USA.

 This same word can be used with objective pronoun, placed in the midst of the word. Since the word is made up of  “m” (no) + “sh” (thing), so the objective pronoun is placed in between.

The above sentenced can be replaced as follows:

-  Ene meni:sh Rabbi.

-  Meni:sh ene.

-  Huwwe mehu:sh be:hi.

-  Hu:me mehomsh min Emri:ke.

Whether to use this structure or the other, it is your choice. Although, certainly, you would chosse the easiest where the word does not change. But, be careful, “mush” is only used in the present form, and it can not be used in the past, although it is used in the future tense. We will see this later on.

l  “sa:ra” means “so, then”, it is used when you did not expect such an event. Example:

-          Sa:ra inti Emri:ki? U ene fi be:li Tu:nsi.

                                So, you are American then? I thought you were Tunisian.