Tunisian Arabic Dictionary Of

Verbs
Mohamed Bacha
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
email: medbtunis@gmail.com phone: +216 23175538
https://www.facebook.com/tunisianarabic1

 
 
 
Introduction
 
Tunisian Arabic Dictionary of Verbs is a useful learning resource to
any student of the Tunisian language designed to improve students'
familiarity with and usage of Tunisian verbs. A valuable tool for both
language students and travellers who just want to start learning
Tunisian Arabic, or those whose level is more advanced and are
already using the two previously published books: Tunisian Arabic in
24 Lessons, Tunisian Arabic in 30 Lessons. Learners who have
already acquired the previous grammar books will find this new
publication a helpful supplement resource for their Tunisian Arabic
learning journey.
The most frequently used Tunisian Arabic Verbs are listed
alphabetically in the emphatic form for 2nd person singular (you),
which we consider as the neutral and simplest form of verbs in
Tunisian Arabic.
Verbs are listed in a table of 3 columns: the first column presents the
Tunisian Arabic verb transliterated in English script, translated in
English, in addition to its equivalent in Arabic script. In this 1st
column, the verb is also shown in the 3rd person singular of the past
tense (he / huwwa) and in the 1st person singular in the past tense (I
/ a:na) The second column presents the verb conjugated and
examplified in Tunisian Arabic phrases. The third column presents the
same verb and phrases in English.

 
Verb Entries: Verbs are listed in three forms: the 2nd person
singlular imperative (you / inti), the 3rd person singular of the past
tense (he / huwwa) and the 1st person singular of the past tense (I /
a:na). The first form of verbs (i.e the imperative form in which verbs
are listed is useful because the imperative can serve as a stem to
form all the persons of the present tense, as shows the conjugation
of verb “iktib” / write, listed in this dictionary in the imperative form
and is used in a sentence like: “iktib ismik” / write your name The
following table shows the basic vrb form in the imperative and how it
is conjugated to the present tense with all subject peonouns just by
adding inflectional affixes, eg, iktib ismik” / write your name niktib
ismi / I write my name

imperative (inti / iktib  

you )
 a:na / I niktib  
inti / you tiktib
huwwa / he yiktib  
hiyya / she tiktib  
naHna: / we niktbu
intu:ma / you (p) tiktbu  
hu:ma / they yiktbu
 
 
The 3rd person singular of the past can be used to form all the
persons of the past tense. The third form with the 1st person singular
in the past tense is also useful in verb entries as it is the form most
used by a speaker.
Verbs are given in Arabic and English scripts with exemplary
sentences and phrases in Tunisian Arabic and their English
translation for each verb.
The examplary sentences aim to demonstrate verb usage in natural
speech in different contexts, tenses and forms. These sentences and
phrases serve as a grammar review to Tunisian Arabic verbs and as
an illustration of verbs conjugated in a variety of contexts. They also
serve to,present and review vocabulary and other syntactic
categories, such as Subject pronouns, Nouns, Adjectives,
Prepositions, Adverbs, linkers.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Verb Conjugation
The Present Tense
a. The imperative:
 
We will use the stems of the verbs in the imperative form as the default and
simplest form of a verb in the present tense in TA: the singular second person
imperative (you), that is when you address someone in front of you with an
order, as when a teacher orders students to do something in class, EX: read
(aqra:), write (iktib), open the book (ħil il-kta:b), work (ikhdim).
Verb entries are in the imperative with the singular 2nd person (you), which is
invariable when used with masculine or or feminine addressee, unlike Modern
Standard Arabic. Of course, the inperative form can be used with the plural
subject you (intu:ma), which is also invariably used with masculine and feminine
addresses.

 
Inti: ► iktib / you (sing.) (m. + f.) write
inti ► aqra: / you (sing) (m. + f.) read
 
Intu:ma ► iktbu: / you (pl.) (m.+f.) write
intu:ma ► aqra:w / you (pl.) (m. + f.) read
 
 
b. Verb Conjugation in the Present Tense Verb inflection that refers to /
stands for the subject: Subject Connected verb affixes The base form of
the equivalent to the English verb “to work” is (ikhdim). As above-mentioned, it
is the form verb form in the singular 2nd person imperative.
“a:na nikhdim saHa:fi” (I work as a journalist), the base verb is “ikhdim” (work).
Then what is the “n” at the beginning of “nikhdim”?
The “n” is an inflectional prefix that is obligatorily attached to the base verb
when used with the Subject pronoun “a:na”. It’s role is to refer to the subject
that is represented in the ebove sentence by the subject pronoun “a:na”. “n”
reflects features of the subject pronoun: gender, number, tense. In this case, the
prefix “n” connected to the base verb says the following syntactic information: -
the subject is 1st person singular – the verb is conjugated in the present tense.
Since the verb “nikhdim” carries necessary nformation as to what the subject of
the sentence is, the subject pronoun is optional. Therefore you can say: “nikhdim
saHa:fi” (I work as a journalist), without the need to mention the subject pronoun
“a:na”.
You can then say [kallimtu] in TA, but not {*spoke to him} in English. This
difference is due to facs about agreement (AGR). In pro-drop languages such as
TA and Italian, the verb provides ample clues whether the subject NP is singular
or plural (number), or first, second or third person. In a Tunisian senence like
mshi:na (we went), the verb shows that the null subject (pro) is first personal
plural. In English, the verb conveys few such clues: the verb "go" might have as
its subject first person " I ", first person plural " we", second person "you". I other
words, TA can have invisible subjects because the necessary information is all
displaced on the verb: it is required to as having a rich inflectional morphology.
Moreover, inflection realizes agreement of subjects not only with Verbs, but also
with auxiliaries and prepositions. As a consequence, the word order of sentences
in TA is more flexible in TA than that of English: (iT-Ta:wla, fu:qha ktab) --- the
table, on it a book.
every subject pronoun displays a different inflectional form attached to the verb
beginning. In addition, plural subject pronouns have inflection (u) at the end of
the verb, as in the following conjugation of the verb “ikhdim” (work). Verb
inflectional affixes indicating subject pronouns are underlined :

a:na nikhdim hiyya tikhdim huwwa yikhdim inti tikhdim intu:ma

tikhdmu hu:ma yikhdmu naHna nikhdimu

 
 
 
 
 
The Past Tense Most verbs in TA belong to two groups. They change to
past tense differently, depending on which group they belong to : (______v+c)

Group 1 : verbs belonging to the first group are those ending in a

short vowel and a consonant (______v+c)
when they are conjugated in past tense for 3rd person masuline
singular “he”.
ktib (wrote), shrab (drank), t3allim (learned). dhrab (hit)
Group 2 : verbs ending in a long vowel : (______v:)
eg. msha: (went), kla: (ate) Notice that the stem of the verbs in the
past tense is no longer the imperative form as used with the verbs
in the present tense, but is the verb conjugated with the 3rd person
masculine singular. The first (i) of the verb in the imperative is
deleted.
Some verbs from Group 1
xraj (went out), dxal (entered, came in), rkib (mounted (for eg. took the bus), ja
:wib (answered), rqad (slept), ktib (wrote), hsib (counted), lbis (wore), l3ab
(played), sa:fer (travelled), xdim (worked), fhim (understood), fTar (ate lunch),
b3ath (sent), wSil (arrived), s-hil (asked, questioned), 3mal (did/made), sma3
(heard, listened to) Some verbs from group 2
eg. msha: (went), kla: (ate), qra: (read), shra: (bought), ja: (came), rma: (threw),
bka: (wept, cried), wfa: (ended, finished), lqa: (found), bda: (began).
Let’s see how these verbs from the two groups are conjugated with the different
Subject pronouns in the Past Tense :
   Group 1 verb Group 2 verb
Subject Pronoun Past Tense ktib Past Tense qra:

I a:na: ktibt qri:t

You (sing) inti: ktibt qri:t
He huwwa ktib qra:
She hiyya kitbit qra:t
We aħna ktibna: qri:na:
You (pl) intu:ma ktibtu: qri:tu:
They hu:ma kitbu: qra:w
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Present progressive: To express the present progressive in TA,
we use the adverbial [qa:3id] + verb in the present tense:

qa:3id nufTur
I’m having (eating) lunch
(a:na) qa:3id niktib fi: jwa:b
I am writing a letter
il-bna:t qa:3di:n yitfarju: f-ittalfza
The girls are watching TV
Leila qa:3da iT-Tayib f-il-ftu:r
Leila is cooking lunch As in English, The present progressive
can refer to the present time in general (not obligatorily to
the moment of speaking) qa:3id nit3allim fi: il3arabiyya I’m
learning Arabic
Some adverbials and expressions of time:
Ilyu:m – today
 Ilba:nka msakra ilyu:m The bank is closed today
ilba:riħ - yesterday
ilba:riħ mshi:t l-ilmarshi yesterday I went to the market ilba:riħ
Sunya ja:t min fra:nsa (yesterday Sunya came from France) ji:t min
amari:ka ilba:riħ
(I came from America yesterday)
qbi:la a short time ago
rawwaHt mil xidma qbi:la (I came back from work a short time ago)
qbi:la kunt fi: il-marshi: (some time ago I was in the market)
tawwa ► now, at the moment, immediately
“tawwa” has two different uses/refrences to time: a)now, at
the moment, immediately i:ja tawwa ! come now !
(immediately) b) general reference to the present time in
general shnuwwa tikhdim tamma?
What do you work now (currently)?
Wi:n tuskun tawwa?
Where do you live now?
 
ghudwa ► tomorrow
ish-shhar il ja:y next month
nibda il-khidma ish-shhar il ja:y I start work next month
il-jim3a il-ja:ya ► next week
mba3id ► after, later, after some time
kallimni maba3id call me (talk to me) later
ma:zilt ki I have just …
ma:zilt ki ji:t mil marshi I have just come from the market
The future ba:sh + verb in present tense The future tense in Tunisian
Arabic uses the auxiliary [ba:sh], which is the equivalent of (will) in English,
followed by the verb in the present tense. You may also encounter “bish” in
future tense phrases, which is the short form of “ba:sh”.

ghudwa ba:sh (bish) n-ishri karhba jdi:da

tomorrow I will buy a new car
Mike w Sonia ba:sh y-zu:r-u: Jerba il-jim3a il ja:ya
Mike and Sonia will visit Jerba next week

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Negative form Verb ‘to be’ in the negative form: We have seen
that the verb to be is omitted in Tunisian Arabic, so for example we have the
equivalent of “I am Tunisian” as “a:na tu:nsi”, with the absence of any form of
verb similar to “to be”. However, in the negative form, a conjunction similar to
“to be” is used before the Adjective to express, not only the negative mood, but
also the Gender and Number of the Subject.
Let’s put the form used with the first person pronoun “a:na” (I) as the default
form. The negative equivalent of “a:na tu:nsi” (I am Tunisian) is “a:na mani:sh
tu:nsi” (I am not Tunisian).
To put it differently, suppose, while you are in Tunisia, someone asks you: “inti:
fransa:wi”? (are you French)? Since you are probably an American or a British
citizen, your answer should be: “la:, a:na mani:sh fransa:wi, a:na amari:ki” (No,
I’am not French. I am American)” Of course if your gender is feminine, you must
use the feminine form of the adjective “a:na mani:sh fransa:wiyya. a:na
ama:rikiyya”.
“mani:sh” and its conjugated counterparts can be considered as the Tunisian
Arabic parallel of “to be” but in the negative form: “I am not” is “mani:sh”, “she
is not” is “mahi:sh” etc. (see the table below). It is mainly used before Adjectives
such as in “mani:sh fransa:wi” (I’m not french), “mani:sh farHa:n” (I’m not
happy”, mani:sh ji3a:n” (I’m not hungry), before nouns as in “mani:sh muhandis”
(I am not an engineer) or adverbs as in “mani:sh hu:ni” (I’m not here), before
prepositional phrases: “mahu:sh fi: idda:r)” (I’m not at home)
Subject to be in Complement – different
Pronoun negative form categories
a:na mani:sh (PP) fi: il-uti:l (in the
hotel), fi: tu:nis (in Tunis),
inti ma:kish m3a Jane (with Jane)
(N) muhandis/
huwwa mahu:sh
muhandsa/muhandsi:n
hiyya mahi:sh Adv) hu:ni, gha:di
(Adj) farHa:n, farHa:na,
(n)aħna mana:sh farHani:n (happy)
ji3a:n, ji3a:na, ji3ani:n
intu:ma makumsh (hungry) fransa:wi,
hu:ma mahumsh fransawiyya, fransawiyyi:n
– tu:nsi, tu:nsiyya, twe:nsa
 
 
Subject Affirmative Form 3and Negative
Pronoun Form
a:na: 3andi ma: 3andi:sh
inti: 3andik ma: 3andiksh
huwwa 3andu ma: 3andu:sh
hiyya 3andha ma: 3andha:sh
(n)aħna: 3andna: ma: 3andna:sh
intu:ma 3andkum ma: 3andkumsh
hu:ma 3andhum ma: 3andhumsh
 
 
To make the negative form in TA, you have to add both a negative particle (ma:)
and a suffix(š) to the verb.

They are (ma:) (equivalent of don’t /doesn’t…. in English!) and (š) or (sh), which
is attached to the end of verbs in the negative form Therefore, if you want to
turn the sentence (famma flu:s fi : es-stu:sh) add a prefix (ma :) and a suffix (š)
to the verb . Look at the examples (remember : in TA, subject pronoun (a :na,
huwa, hiya, hu :ma, nahna, intu :ma) are optional. Their presence is carried out
through verb inflection) :
famma flu:ss fi: is-stu:sh (there is money in the handbag)
ma: fammaš flu:ss fi: is-stu:sh (there is no money in the handbag)
3andi wla:d (I have children)
(a:na) ma: 3andi:sh wla:d (I don’t have children)
nikallam 3arbi (I speak Arabic)
ma: nitkallamš 3arbi (I don’t speak Arabic)
Sonia titkallim angli:zi (Sonia speaks English)
Sunya ma: tikallamš il-angli:ziya (Sonia doesn’t speak English)
(hu:ma) yikallmu: il-angli:ziya (they speak English)
(hu:ma) ma: yitkallmu:š angli:zi (they don’t speak English)
3andi barsha flu:s
ma: 3andi-sh barsha flu:s I don’t have much money
Subject Negative S.Pronoun Verb Stem S.Pronoun Negative
Pronoun prefix inflection [ifhim] inflection suffix
  prefix (understand) suffix  
   
a:na ma: n ifhim   sh
inti ma: t ifhim   sh
huwwa ma: y ifhim   sh
 hiyya ma: t ifhim   sh
aħna ma: n ifhm u: sh
intu:ma ma: t ifhm u: sh
hu:ma ma: y ifhm u: sh

 
 
mshi :t li : il-marshi (I went to the market)
ma: msh:it-sh li: il-marshi (I didn’t go to the market)
(hu:ma) yikallmu: il-angli:ziya (they speak English)
(hu:ma) ma: yitkallmu:-š angli:ziyya (they don’t speak English
nhib il-kosksi (I like couscous)
ma: nHibbish il kusksi (I don’t like couscous)
3andik karhba? Do you have a car?
ey 3andi (yes I have) la: ma: 3andi:-sh (no I don’t have)
ma: t-kallim-ni-sh !
don’t talk to me !
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  aqra: kta:b read a book
  naqra: jari:da fi: I read a
aqra: ‫أﻗﺮا‬ iSSba:H newspaper in the
read qra: qri:t John yaqra: fi: morning
  ilja:m3a John studies at the
  Q. 3la:sh taqra: fi: university
illu:gha Q. Why are you
ittu:nsiyya? studying the
A. 3ala kha:tir Tunisian language
ba:sh nsa:fir li ?
tu:nis A. because I will
travel to Tunisia
a3Tish get 3Tusht, a3Ti :ni I’m thitsty, give
thirsty 3Tush dabbu:za ma: me a bottle of
3Tusht water
   a3Ti: ilpasspor li give the passport
a3Ti: ‫أﻋﻄﻲ‬ 3awn alistiqba:l to the receptionist
give 3Ta: 3Ti:t Jane 3Ta:tni ilkta:b Jane gave me this
ha:tha book

  a3mil du:ra to take a walk

a3mil ‫أﻋﻤﻞ‬ a3mil du:sh to take a shower
do, make, a3mil idhra:b to strike
accomplish 3mil a3mil nadhra to glance
3milt a3mil Talla to drop in on s.o
a3mil Haja jdi:da do something new
a:sh qa:3id ta3mil what are you
? doing ?
ma najjim na3mil I can do nothing
shay He accomplished
3mil barsha Haja:t many things in a
fi: shwayya waqt short time
bash na3mil I will have a
3amaliyya chirurgical
jiraHiyya operation
a :sh na3mil ? what shall I do?
a:sh 3milt ? what did you do?
a3mil hold 3mil ya3mlu: ijtima:3 they hold a
3milt kul sh-har meeting every
  month
  aghsil Hwayjik wash your clothes
aghsil ‫ﻏﺴﻞأ‬ naghsil sha3ri kul I wash my hair
wash ghsal yu:m everyday
ghsalt
 
  John t3a:rik m3a John fought with a
adhrib ‫أﺿﺮب‬ rajil w dharbu man and hit him
hit, strike dhrab dharbha bi he hit her with a
dhrabt kasaru:na 3la saucepan on her
  ra:sha head
    
ahbiT get ahbiT min iddru:j go down the stairs
down, get off, mazilt ki: hbatit I have just got off
go down, come m-ilka:r the bus
down climb hbaTna min ijjbal we descended
down, descend from the mountain
hbat hbatit
aHfir ‫أﺣﻔﺮ‬ aHfir Hufra fi dig a hole in the
dig Hfar Hfart irrmal sand
Hafru bi:r they dug a well
aHriq ‫أﺣﺮق‬ ma: titkayyifsh f- don’t smoke in the
burn, put fire ilbi:t, ta:w taHraq room, you will
in something ilfarsh ! burn the bed !
Hraq Hraqt
  a:khuth qardh min obtain a loan from
a:khuth ‫أﺧﺬ‬ ilba:nka the bank
take, obtain min 3and shku:n From whom did
khtha: kthi:t kthi:t issig:aru ? you take the
cigarette ?
  khsart flu:si I lost my money
akhsir ‫أﺧﺴﺮ‬ fari:qi khsar il- my team lost the
lose khsar khsart match match
  Q. wi:n nalqa: Q. Where can I
alqa: ‫أﻟﻘﻰ‬ John ? find John ?
find lqa: lqi:t A. talqa:h fi il A. You can find him
maktba in the library
armi: ‫أرﻣﻲ‬ armi:li ilku:ra Throw to me the
throw rma: rmi:t ball
a:qif ‫أﻗﻒ‬ a:qif ki: idh-dhaw Stop when the
stop, stand up yish3il aHmar lights turn red
wqif wqift iTTalaba ya:qfu: ki: Students stand up
ilusta:th yudkhul when the teacher
comes in
aqdhi: ‫أﻗﻀﻲ‬ dima naqdhi min I always do the
 do the Carrefour shopping in
shopping qdha: Carrefour mall
qdhi:t
  aHki:li 3la bla:dik tell me about your
aHki: ‫أﺣﻜﻲ‬ (huma) dima country
tell, speak, talk yaHki:u 3la They are always
Hka: Hki:t issiya:sa talking about
ma taHki:sh politics
m3a:ya ! don’t speak with
me !
a:kul ‫أﻛﻞ‬ a:kul kaskru:t eat a sandwitch
eat kla: kli:t ma na:kilsh ilHa:r I don’t eat spicy
food
  sami yashar yaqra Sami stays late at
as-har ‫أﺳﻬﺮ‬ dru:su night doing his
stay awake late bash nas-har l- homework
at night s-har s- iSSba:H I will stay awake
hart   until the morning
   
ashar ‫أﺳﻬﺮ‬ Q wi:n tashar f-illi:l Q. Where do you
go out and ? spend part of the
spend part of nashar f-ilqahwa night ?
the night, esp.   in the café
To have fun s-    
har s-hart
baddil ‫ﺑﺪل‬ baddil Hwayjik change your
change, baddalt ittiskra clothes
replace baddil I changed the
baddalt ticket
barra ‫ ﺑﺮا‬go barra ishri ki:lu go buy a kilo of
sukkur sugar
barra gha:di go there
barrid ‫ﺑﺮد‬ barrid il bi:rra fi: cool down the
cool down, ilfrigidaire beer in the fridge
chill, ice barrid
 barradt
ba33id ‫ﺑﻌﺪ‬ ba33id ikkarhba take away the car
take away, min gha:di from there
drive away,
hold off ba33id
ba33idt
bi:3 ‫ﺑﻴﻊ‬ nHib nbi:3 I want to sell my
sell ba:3 bi3t karhabti car
bu:s ‫ﺑﻮس‬ bu:sni ! kiss me !
kiss ba:s bust ybu:su fi They are kissing
b3adhhum each other
Kiss the snake … Kiss the snake …or
or fall in the well ! fall in the well !
   
doq ‫دق‬ doqq il-ba:b knock at the door
knock daqq daqqi:t ilba:b, ma: I knocked at the
daqqi:t Hall Had door, nobody
opened
dizz ‫دز‬ dizz il-ba:b push the door
push dazz dizz ilkarhba push the car with
dazzi:t m3a:ya me
du:r ‫دور‬ imshi Tu:l w du:r go straight then
turn da:r durt 3al imi:n (ysa:r) turn right (left)
fadlik ‫ﻓﺪﻟﻚ‬ huwa y-fadlik m3a He is joking with
joke, jest, SaaHbu his friends
tease, make nfadlik 3li:k, mush I ‘m making fun at
fun fadlak bilHaq ! you, thay is not
fadlakt true !
fakkir ‫ﻓﻜﺮ‬ fakkir fi ilfuqara: Think about the
think fakkar poor
fakkart
farhid ‫ﻓﺮﻫﺪ‬ fi il week-end entertain the
entertain, farhid il3a:yla family in the week
end
 amuse farhid
farhadt
farkis ‫ﻓﺮﻛﺲ‬ nfarkis 3la mfa:tHi I’m looking for my
search, look hayya nfarksu 3la keys
for, try to find maT3am ba:hi let’s search for a
farkis farkist Jane tfarkis 3la good restaurant
khidma Jane is looking for
a job
fahhim ‫ﻓﻬﻢ‬ fahhimni iljumla explain to me this
explain, clarify, ha:thi sentence
cause to ilusta:th fahhimna the teacher
understand iddars explained to us
fahhim fahhimt fahhimni 3la:sh the lessons
mitghashish explain to me why
  you are angry
 
fassir ‫ﻓﺴﺮ‬ fassarli iljumla explain to me this
explain, clarify ha:thi, brabbi sentence, please
demonstrate ilusta:th yfassir fi the teacher
fassir fassirt iddars l-itla:mtha explains the
  lesson to the
students
farriq ‫ﻓﺮق‬ farriq il Halwa 3la distribute the
scatter, issgha:r sweets for the kids
distribute farriq
farriqt
fa:riq ‫ﻓﺎرق‬ sami fa:riq martu Sami left his wife
leave, quit, ma tfa:raqni:sh
depart fa:riq
fa:riqt
farraH ‫ﻓﺮح‬ farraH issgha:r bi make the children
make s.o happy illu3ab happy with toys
farraH farraHt
ghanni ‫ﻏﻨﻲ‬ inti tghanni You sing very well
sing ghanna: bilgda: !
 ghanni:t shku:n yghanni « I Who sings « I will
will survive» ? survive » ?
ghi:b ‫ﻏﻴﺐ‬ Ilba:riH ghibt m- Yesterday I was
be absent gha:b ilkhidma 3ala absent from work
ghibt kha:tir kunt mri:dh because I was ill (I
(mistabrid) had the flu)
3la:sh ghibt min why were you
iddars ? absent from the
lesson ?
haddid ‫ﻫﺪد‬ haddidni bi ilqatl he threatened to
threaten haddid kill me
haddidit
Haththir ‫ﺣﺬر‬ ishurTa Hathrit the police warned
warn Haththir inna:s bash ma: people not to go
Haththart yukhrju:sh out
Hadhir ‫ﺣﻀﺮ‬ Hadhir ru:Hik prepare yourself
prepare Hadhir (get ready)
Hadhart
  hizz m3a:ya lift / carry the
hizz ‫ﻫﺰ‬ ilfali:ja valise with me
carry, take, hizzli ilkta:b lidda Take the book to
transport hazz :r the house for me
hazzi:t ma tinsa:sh t-hizz don(t forget to
passpo:rik take your passport
ma najjamsh nhizz I can’t lift the box.
iS-Sandu:q rzi:n It’s very heavy !
ye:sir !
  bash nibda naqra I will start studying
ibda: ‫إﺑﺪا‬ ghudwa tomorrow
start begin waqta:sh nibda:u when do we start
baddal baddalt naqra:u ? studying ?
ibla3 swallow ibla3 ilHarbu:sha swallow the pill
bla3 bla3t
iHshim ‫اﺣﺸﻢ‬ ma najjamsh I can’t swim in a
n3u:m bi bikini, bikini, I feel shy !
 be shy Hshim niHshim !
Hshimt
idhHak ‫إﺿﺤﻚ‬ dima nidhHak I always laugh
laugh dhHak lamma nitfarrij fi when I watch
dhHakt film ‘the kid’ mta3 Charlie Chaplin’s
Charlie Chaplin film ‘The Kid’
idhin paint d- dhint bi:ti bi- I painted my room
hin d-hint lazraq blue
ihdi: ‫اﻫﺪي‬ ihdi:li hdiyya fi: offer me a present
offer hda: hdi:t 3i:d mila:di at my birthday
iHlif ‫اﺣﻠﻒ‬ iHlif illi tHibni ! swear that you
swear Hlif Hlift love me !
iHsib ‫إﺣﺴﺐ‬ iHsib qadda:sh calculate how
calculate Hsibt flu:s yilzimna much money we
need
iktib ‫إﻛﺘﺐ‬ iktib fu:q ilwarqa write on this paper
write ktib ktibt ha:thi write your name
iktib ismik I will write a new
bash niktib kta:b book
jdi:d
il3ib play l3ib til3ib shiTranj ? Do you play
l3ibt lula:d yil3bu chess?
baHtha ilpisi:n The kids are
l3ibt bingo w playing near the
rbaHt ! swimming pool
I played bingo and
I won !
imshi walk nimshi min idda:r I walk from home
msha: mshi:t l’ilkhidma to work
imshi ‫إﻣﺸﻲ‬ imshi gha:di go there
go mshi:t li matHaf did you go to
Bardo ? Bardo museum?
imshi m3a imshi m3a:ya Accompany me to
‫إﻣﺸﻲ ﻣﻊ‬ l’ilmaTa:r the airport
 accompany mshi:t m3a:ha I went with her to
msha: m3a l’iluti:l the hotel
mshi:t m3a
ikhdim ‫اﺧﺪم‬ Q. shnuwwa Q. what do you
work khdim tikhdim ? work
khdimt A. nikhdim SaHa:fi A. I work as a
journalist
inzil ‫إﻧﺰل‬ inzil 3la ilfilsa press on the red
press on nzil ilHamra button
nzilt
iqtariH ‫إﻗﺘﺮح‬ iqatariH Hall l- suggest a solution
suggest iqtaraH ilmushkla to the problem
iqtaraHt iqtaraHt 3li:ha I suggested to her
nHillu mashru:3 that we start a
business
i3traf (bi) i3traf b-ghalTTu he acknowledged
‫إﻋﺘﺮف‬ his mistake
acknowledge
ishri: ‫ اﺷﺮي‬buy barra ishri ba:ku go buy a box of
shra: shri:t Hli:b min il- milk from the store
magazin
isma3 ‫إﺳﻤﻊ‬ isma3 il-ghna:ya listen to this song
listen, hear hathi have you heard
sma3 sma3t sma3t a:khir the latest news ?
ilakhba:r ?
istfa:d ‫إﺳﺘﻔﺎد‬ istfadit min iddars I profited from the
profit istfa:d lesson
istfadit
irja3 ‫إرﺟﻊ‬ ghudwa ba:sh Tomorrow I will
return come nsa:fir li fra:nsa w travel to France
back rja3 rja3t nirja3 ba3d and I will return
khamsa ayya:m after five days
irkib ‫ارﻛﺐ‬ irkib f-iTTayyara get on the plane
irkib fu :q ilHsa :n
get on, mount mount on the
rkib rkibt horse
  istanna ilka:r f- wait for the but in
istanna ‫اﺳﺘﻨﻰ‬ ilmHaTTa the bus station
wait stanna: stanna:ni nuS wait for me half an
stanni:t sa:3a hour
i:ja ‫إﻳﺠﻰ‬ i:ja lhu:ni ! come here !
come ja: ji:t Jane ja:t li tu:nis Jane came to
3amna:wil Tunisia last year
  il3ib volley fi ish- play volley ball on
il3ib ‫إﻟﻌﺐ‬ shaT the beach
play l3ib l3ibt ta3rif til3ib do you know how
shutranj ? to play chess ?
imshi ‫إﻣﺸﻲ‬ imshi Tu:l w du:r Go straight ahead
go msha: mshi:t 3al imi:n then turn right
Q. kifa :sh timshi Q. How do you go
lilkhidma ? to work ?
A. f-ilmetro A. in the metro
imshi ‫إﻣﺸﻲ‬ nimshi khamsa I walk five
walk msha: kilometra:t kul kilometres
mshi:t yu:m everyday
ijbid ‫إﺟﺒﺪ‬ ijbid miti:n dinars withdraw 200
withdraw, pull min ilba:nka Dinars from the
jbid jbidit - ijbid ilHbal bank
pull the rope
ijri ‫اﺟﺮي‬ n-ijri khamsa I run 5 kilometres
run jra: jri:t kilometres kul every morning
sba:H
insa ‫اﻧﺴﻰ‬ ma t-insa-sh ism don’t forget the
forget nsa: nsi:t iluti:l name of the hotel
intaqid ‫إﻧﺘﻘﺪ‬ ilmu3a:rdha dima the opposition
criticize inta9ad tantaqid ilHukuma always criticizes
intaqadit the government
intakhib ‫اﻧﺘﺨﺐ‬ itwa :nsa intakhbu Tunisians elected a
 vote, elect ra2i:s jdi :d new president
intakhab mitraddid shku:n I’m hesitating who
intakhabt nantakhib I will vote for
ikthib ‫اﻛﺬب‬ ma tikthibsh do not lie to me
lie (don ‘t say 3liyya Sami always lies !
the truth) kthib sami di:ma yikthib politicians always
kthibt ! lie
is-siya:siyyi:n
di:ma yikthbu
istaghrib istaghrabt min I am surprised by
‫إﺳﺘﻐﺮب‬ inti:ja the results
be perplexed,
surprised
istaghrib
istaghribt
ilbis ‫اﻟﺒﺲ‬ ilbis Hwa:yjik wear you clothes
wear lbis lbist
indim ‫اﻧﺪم‬ ndimt illi ji:t li I regret that I
regret ndim tu:nis came to Tunisia
ndimt
ibrid ‫اﺑﺮد‬ a:na bridit, yilzmi I feel cold, I must
become cold, nilbis vi:sta wear a vest
feel cold, cool
down bridd bridit
iqbil ‫إﻗﺒﻞ‬ (hiyya) qiblit il- She accepted the
accept qbil qbilt istid3a: invitation
is2il ‫إﺳﺌﻞ‬ is2il su2a:l ask a question
ask s2il s2ilit is2il ilida:ra 3la ask the
ilwaqt ijjdi:d administration
about the new
schedule
ista:nis ‫اﺳﺘﺎﻧﺲ‬ ista:nist b-ilma:kla I got used to spicy
be used to, ilHa:rra fi tu:nis food in Tunisia
familiarize with
sta:nis sta:nist
ista3mil ‫إﺳﺘﻌﻤﻞ‬ ista3mil mifta:H use a key to open
use, bish tHill ilba:b the door
instrumentalise
ista3mil ista3milt
istad3a: istad3a: SuHa:bik invite your friends
‫إﺳﺘﺪﻋﻰ‬ l-3i:d mi:la:dik to your birthday
invite istad3a: ghudwa bash tomorrow I will
istad3i:t nistad3a SuHa:bi invite my friends
l-il3sha for dinner
 
ib3id ‫إﺑﻌﺪ‬ ib3id 3la isstress be away from
be away, go ib3id 3liyya ! stress
away b3id b3idit go away from me !
istaqbil ‫إﺳﺘﻘﺒﻞ‬ istaqbil dhya:fik f- receive your
receive, host iSSa:la guests in the living
room
itfarrij ‫اﺗﻔﺮج‬ Q. fa:sh ta3mil ? what are you
watch, see A. nitfarrij fi film doing ?
I’m watching a film
ifhim ‫إﻓﻬﻢ‬ ma fhimtiksh I don’t understand
understand Q. fhimt iddars ? you
fhim fhimt A. la: ma fhimtish Q. did you
understand the
lesson
A. No, I didn’t
understand
irbaH ‫إرﺑﺢ‬ ya rabbi waqta:sh oh my God, when
win rbaH rbaHt nirbaH f- will I win in
ilpromosport ? Promosport
Q. shku:n rbaH : (football lottery) ?
barshalu:na walla Q. who won : FC
Real Madrid ? Barcelone or Real
A. barshalu:na Madrid ?
ribHit thla :tha b- A. Barcelone won
wa :Hid 3-1
istamta3 enjoy, istamta3t I enjoyed very
relish istamta3 b’ilma:kla ilbni:na much the delicious
istamta3t fi: tu:nis food in Tunisia
itmatta3 ‫اﺗﻤﺘﻊ‬ itmatta3 bi iTTaqs enjoy the nice
enjoy tmatta3 il-ba:hi ! weather !
tmatta3t
injaH ‫اﻧﺠﺢ‬ aqra: barsha ba Study a lot in
succeed pass :sh tinjaH fi order (so that) you
(an exam) njaH ilimtiHa :n succeed in the
njaHt njaHt fi ilimtiHa:n exam.
I succeeded in the
exam
irta:H ‫إرﺗﺎح‬ nirta:H shwayya f- I rest a little in the
rest, repose, ilbi:t room
lie down irta:H
rtaHt
ishwi grill shwa: iswhi ilHu:t grill the fish
shwi:t
iskir ‫اﺳﻜﺮ‬ iskir fi ilba:r drink (e.g beer) in
drink alcoholic ushrub bi:rra a:ma the bar
drinks, get ma tiskirsh drink beer but
drunk skir skir don’t get drunk
ifraH ‫إﻓﺮح‬ nifraH barsha ki I become very
become happy nra:k happy when I see
fraH fraHt you
ishTaH ‫إﺷﻄﺢ‬ ta3rif tishTaH raqs do you (know how
dance shTaH sharqi ? to) dance
shTaHt bellydance ?
israq ‫اﺳﺮق‬ matisraqsh m- don’t steal from
steal sraq sraqt ilmagazin ! the store (mall) !
istathmir istathmir fi: tu:nis invest in Tunisia
invest istathmar
istathmart
infi ‫اﻧﻔﻲ‬ infi illi sraqt deny that you
 deny stole
iTla3 ‫إﻃﻠﻊ‬ iTla3 li iTTa:biq it- go up to the 2nd
mount, go up tha:ni floor
Tla3 Tla3t
izra3 ‫إزرع‬ izara3 nawwar fi plant flowers in
plant zra3 zra3t ijjni:na the garden
izrib ‫زرب إ‬ izrib, qri:b hurry up, it’s
hurry up ilkhamsa ! almost five O’clock
aqra: b’ishwayya, !
ma tizribsh read slowly, don’t
hurry
jarrib ‫ﺟﺮب‬ jarrib ilkarhba try the car before
try, test, qbal ma: tishri:ha you buy it
experience 3umri ma jarrabt I have never tried
jarrab jarrabt nitkayyif iz-zaTla smoking cannabis
jammil ‫ﺟﻤﻞ‬ jammil su:m (Haq) gather the price of
collect, gather is- safra li tu:nis the travel to
Tunisia
jamma3 ‫ﺟﻤﻊ‬ ilfalla:Ha farmers collect
collect, bring yjamm3u iz-zitu:n olives in
together November November
jamma3 jamma3t
ji:b ‫ﺟﻴﺐ‬ ji:b digla min bring dates from
bring ja:b jibt Tozeur Tozeur
mashi nji:b binti I’m going to bring
m-ilmaktib my daughter from
school
ju:3 ‫ﺟﻮع‬ ju3t ? are you hungry ?
to be hungry ju3t ye:sir ! I’m very hungry !
ja:3 ju3t waqta:sh ba :sh when will we eat ?
nufTru ?
ka:n ‫ﻛﺎن‬ Mike ka:n fi Mike was in France
was ‘to be’ in 3rd fra:nsa I was in the
person singular, past hospital
tense ka:n kunt
 (a:na) kunt Q. where did you
f’issbiTa:r study ?
Q. wi:n kunt I studied at Yale
taqra? University
Kunt naqra fi Yale  
University
kaththir abuse Mike kaththir min Mike abused of
kaththar ish-shra:b wine
kaththart Ma tkaththarsh Don’t abuse of
m’issukkur sugar
kha:f ‫ﺧﺎف‬ nkha:f min ilkla:b I fear dogs a lot
fear / worry barsha Don’t worry!
kha:f khuft ma tkha:fish !
kharrij ‫ﺧﺮج‬ kharrij izzibla take out the litter
take out kharraj
kharrijt
khabbi ‫ﺧﺒﻲ‬ khabbi sTu:shik hide your wallet
hide khabba:
khabbi:t
khalli leave, let khalli:t flu:si fi- I left my money at
khalla khalli:t iddar home
khalli loula:d leave the children
ra:qdi:n asleep
khalli:ni waHdi ! leave me alone !
 
khammim think khammim fi think about the
khammam ilmustaqbal future I’m thinking
khammamt nkhammim nishri about buying a
karhba jdi:da new car
khu:th take khu:th ha:tha take this
khtha: khthi:t kh:th l’imfa:tiH take the keys from
min ir-reception the reception
konnekti konnekti 3la connect to the
connect l’internet internet
(facebook) (facebook)
 konnekta
konnekti:t
lawwij look for samaHni, ana excuse me, I’m
nlawwij 3la looking for this
il3unwa:n ha :tha address
manna3 ilHimaya the rescue squad
save, rescue ilmadaniyya saved the woman
manna3 mann3it ilmra:
manna3t
makyij do make innsa: ymakyju women do make
up makyij qbal ma: yukhrju up before going
makyijt out
mu:t die ma:t ba:ba ma:t 3a:m my father died in
mutt 2007 2007
naqqis reduce naqqis min reduce the speed
naqqis naqqast issur3a reduce sugar in
naqqis m’issukkur your food
fi ma:kiltik
qaddim qaddim shwayya move a little
advance, move ilqudda:m forward
forward qaddam
qaddamt
qarrir decide qarrart ba:sh I decided to finish
qarrir qarrart nkammil qrayti f- my study at the
ilja:m3a university
qa:rin compare qa:rin mabi:n compare between
qa:rin qa:rint ilaswa:m prices
qayyid take qayyid nu:mru: write down the
note, write ilkarhba number of the car
down qayyid
qayyidit
qayyid enroll, qayyidit fi: ku:r I enrolled in the
register, join il3arabiyya Arabic course
qayyid qayyidit
 - John qayyid fi: John subscribed to
riHla li Djerba a trip to Djerba
raHHib ittwa:nsa yraHbu Tunisians welcome
welcome b’ilaja:nib foreigners
raHHab raHHabt
rawwaH go waqta:sh bash when will you
(come) back trawwaH li return to America
home, return amari:ka ? ?
back to country rawwaH bikri ya come back
rawwaH rawwaHt 3zi:zi ! come back home
early, darling !
sha:rik ba:sh nsha:rik fi I will participate in
participate conference a conference
sha:rik sha:rikt
shayyaH dry Sonia tshayyaH Sonia dries her
shayyaH sh3arha bi is- hair with the
shayyaHt sechoir hairdrier
shu:f look, see, shu:f famma:shi look whether there
observe sha:f na:s qudda:m are people in front
shuft idda:r of the house
Q. shuft Sami ? Q. did you see
A. la:, ma Sami ?
shuftu:sh B. no, I didn’t see
him
shidd ‫ﺷﺪ‬ shidd ilHbal hold the rope from
hold, seize milgha :di the other end
shadd shaddi:t shidd 3andik hold my bag for
ilkarta:ba mta3i me a moment
shwayya
shidd ‫ﺷﺪ‬   the police
capture shadd ishshurTa shaddit captured the thief
shaddi:t issa:riq
shimm ‫ﺷﻢ‬ shimm smell the Tunisian
smell shamm ilmashmu:m it- Mashmum. It’s
shammi:t
 tu:nsi, ri:Htu smell is refreshing
mun3isha ! !
shi:H Jane tshayyaH Jane dries up her
dry up shayyaH sh3arha ba3d ma: hair after she
shayyaHt taghslu washes it
sa:fir ‫ﺳﺎﻓﺮ‬ Suzan tsa:fir kul Suzan travels
travel sa:fir Si:f every summer
sa:firt sa:firt li fra :nsa have you travelled
qbal ? to France before ?
ba sh nsa :fir li I will travel to
tu:nis il jim3a il Tunisia next week
ja:ya
sallim greet, Q. ki: ysallmu, Q. When they
salute, say ittwa:nsa yqu:lu greet,
hello sallim «3assla:ma », w Tunisians say
sallamt iTTla:yin, a:sh «3assla :ma».
yqu:lu ? What do italians
A. yqu:lu « ciao » ! say ?
A. They say « ciao
»!
sa:3id ‫ﺳﺎﻋﺪ‬ sa :3idni fi tandhi:f help me in
help sa:3id idda:r, min fadhlik cleaning the
sa:3idit sa:3id ruHik house, please
take care
sakkir ‫ﺳﻜﺮ‬ sakkir il ba:b close the door
close, shut sakkart il-compte I closed the
account
su:q ‫ﺳﻮق‬ ta3rif tsu:q ? do you (know how
drive sa:q suqt rodd ba:lik ki tsu:q to) drive ?
be careful when
you drive
sa:maH ‫ﺳﺎﻣﺢ‬ sa:maHni ! excuse me !
pardon, excuse
sa:maH sa:maHt
sallif ‫ﺳﻠﻒ‬ sallifni mya:t lend me 100
 lend sallif sallift Dinars, brabbi ! Dinars, please !
Sawwir ‫ﺻﻮر‬ Sawwirni baHtha take a photo of me
take a photo, ij-jmal near the camel
draw Sawwar
Sawwart
sibb ‫ﺳﺐ‬ huma t3a:rku w they quarrelled
insult, curse sabbu b3adhhum and insulted each
sabb sabbi:t other
sammi ‫ﺳﻤﻲ‬ tnajjim tsammi can you name all
name samma: wilaya:t amari:ka American states ?
sammi:t ilkull ?
sannis ‫ﺳﻨﺲ‬ sannis wla:dik bi habituate your
accustom, inndha:fa children to
habituate , make sannast 3inayya cleanness
someone accept bi ilmraya:t I accustomed my
something as
normal or usual. eyes to the lenses
sannas sannast
sarrib leak wikileaks sarbit wikileaks leaked
sarrab sarrabt watha:iq important
muhimma documents
Harrik move Harrik sa:qik move your foot
something, stir
Harrik Harrakt
Hill open Hall Hill ilba:b Open the door
Halli:t Hill ilkta:b f- Open the book at
iSSafHa thlathi:n page thirty
Hill turn on Hill idh-dhaw Turn on the lights
(light, gas, TV)
Hall Halli:t
Hiss ‫ﺣﺲ‬ nhiss bi wji:3a fi I feel pain in my
feel Hass Hassi:t mi3dti stomach
Ha:rib ‫ﺣﺎرب‬ iran Ha:rbit Iran made war to
make war,fight il3ira:q 3a:m 1981 Iraq in 1981
Ha:rib Ha:ribt
 ilHuku:ma ijjdi:da the new
bash tHa:rib government will
ilbiTa:la fight
unemployment
Ha:wil ‫ﺣﺎول‬ Ha:wil tHil ilba:b try to open the
try Ha:wil Ha:wilt Ha:wil marra door
okhra try another time,
Ha:wilt ninsa:k, try again
la:kin ma: I tried to forget
najjamtish ! you but I couldn’t
ma tHa:wilsh don’t try to fool
tistahbalni ! me !
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 Hokk ‫ﺣﻚ‬ Hokk sinni:k bi brush your teeth
scratch, brush dentifrice with toothpaste
Hakk Hakki:t shbi:k tHokk fi why are you
ra:sik? scratching your
Hokk ilma3u:n mli:H head ?
brush the ustensils
very well
HoT ‫ﺣﻂ‬ HoT il3sha: fu:q put the dinner on
put, put iTTa:wla the table
down, add
Hatt Hatti:t
3a:wid repeat 3a:wid, ma fhimtish repeat, I did not
3a:wid 3a:widt   understand
3a:win help 3a:winni fi: takhmi:l Help me in
3a:win 3a:wint idda:r arranging the
house
3abbi fill, 3abbi ilka:s fill the glass
pack, stuff 3abbi:t ilfali:ja b- I stuffed the valise
3abba: 3abbi:t ilHwa:yij with clothes
3allim ‫ﻋﻠﻢ‬ 3allimni ilangli:zyya teach me English
teach, 3allimni nTayyib teach me to cook
educate 3allim  
3allimt
3ammir fill 3ammir ilmaTlib Fill into the
(into a 3ammir ilwarqa application
document, an ha:thi – iktin ismik Fill into the at the
application) w SaHHah reception – write
3ammar your name then
3ammart sign
3arri ‫ﻋﺮي‬ ma t3arri:sh ru:Hik don’t undress in
undress, f-ilbard the cold
unclothe,
 strip 3arra:
3arri:t
3affis spep rod ba:lik, ma beware, do not
on, stumble t3afissh 3la il gza:z step on the glass !
on 3affis !
Saffast « ma yHiss iljamra
ka:n illi y3affis
3li:ha »
3arris ‫ﻋﺮس‬ Sonia w Mike 3arrsu Sonia and Mike
to marry 3arris t3arris biyya ? have married
3arrist would you marry
me ?
3u:m ‫ﻋﻮم‬ 3u:m f-il-pisi:n swim in the
swim 3a:m swimming pool
3umt
3i:f ‫ﻋﻴﻒ‬ n3i:f il-3dham I am disgusted by
feel disgusted ilmaSmu:t boiled eggs
from
something
3a:f 3ift
Saddaq ‫ﺻﺪق‬ ma nSaddaqsh is- I don’t believe
believe siyasiyyi :n politicians
Saddaq
Saddaqt
Sa:raH Sa:raHni tell me the truth
speak directly Sa:rHittu b-ilHqi:qa she told him the
/ honestly, say truth
the truth  
Sa:raH Sa:raHt
shayyish ‫ﺷﻴﺶ‬ Hayya nshayshu fi let’s smoke
smoke sidi bus3i:d sheesha in Sidi
sheesha Bou Said
shayyish
shayyisht
Saffaq Saffaqna 3la: we applauded the
applaud Saffaq ilmughanni singer
Saffaqt
SallaH ‫ﺻﻠﺢ‬ wi:n nSallaH where can I repair
repair, mend karhabti ? my car ?
SallaH SallaHt
Salli ‫ﺻﻠﻲ‬ ilmislmi :n ySalliu f- Muslims pray in
pray, perform ilmasjid. the mosque.
prayer Salla: ilmasiHiyyi:n Christians pray in
Salli:t ySalli:u f-ilkni:siyya the church
Sa:r ‫ﺻﺎر‬ Q. a:sh Sa:r ? what happened ?
ySi:r ‫ ﻳﺼﻴﺮ‬A. ma Sa:r shay nothing happened
happened,
happens
Si:H ‫ﺻﻴﺢ‬ shbi :k tSi :H ? why are you
shout Sa:H shbi :h ySi :H ? shouting ?
SuHt shbi :ha tSi :H ? why is he shouting
?
why is she
shouting ?
Su:m ‫ﺻﻮم‬ ilmuslmi:n ySu:mu Muslims fast in the
fast Sa:m Sumt fi month of
sh-har rumdha:n Ramadhan
Sarrif ‫ﺻﺮف‬ Sarrif ilflu:s fi: exchange the
exchange ilba:nka qbal ma: money at the
money, tsa:fir. bank, before you
change big travel.
banknotes
for smaller
ones Sarrif
Sarraft
Sobb ‫ﺻﺐ‬ Sobb ilma: fi pour water into
pour water, ilkasaru:na the saucepan
pay into the
 bank Sabb Sobb khamsa pay 500 Dinars
Sabbi:t mya: Dinars f’ into my account
ilcompte mta:3i
tabba3 ‫ ﺗﺒﻊ‬tabba3 ilkarhba follow the black
follow tabba3 ilkaHla car
tabba3t Sonia ittabba3 Sonia follows
ilmu:dha fashion
tabba3ni ! follow me !
talfin ‫ﺗﻠﻔﻦ‬ talfin l-ilurgence call the
phone, talk emergency
on the
phone, call
talfin talfant
tarjim ‫ ﺗﺮﺟﻢ‬tarjim jwa:b li translate a letter
translate ilangli:ziyya to English
tfa:ja2 tfa:ja2t bi issu:m, I was surprised
be surprised gha:li barsha by the price, it’s
very expensive
tfarrij watch qa:3id nitfarrij fi: I’m watching a
tfarrij tfarrajt fi:lm fi: it-talvza film on TV.
tfarrajt fi Have you seen
masraHiyit « the play « Sabra
Sabra & the Lion» & the Lion » ?
?
tghashish ka:n ma tji:sh if you don’t
get angry nitghashish come I will get
tghashish angry
tghashisht
tkayyif Mike yitkattif Mike smokes a
smoke ba:ku swa:gir f- packet of
innha:r cigarettes a day
 tkayyif Q. tHib titkayyif ? Q. do you want a
tkayyift A. la:, ma cigarette?
nitkayyifsh A. no, I don’t
smoke
tkhabba tkhabba, ish- hide yourself,
hide shurTa tlawwij the police are
yourself 3li:k ! looking for you !
tkhabba
tkhabbi:t
tSawwir tSawwir ka:n kunt imagine that I
imagine waHdi ! were alone !
tSawwir
tSawwirt
tSawwir be i:ja tSawwir m3a come to have a
taken in a il 3ru:sa photo with the
photo bride
thu:q thu:q issla:Ta, taste the salad, is
(ðuuq) ‫ذوق‬ Ha:rra walla la:? it spicy or not?
taste ða:q    
ðuqt
twa:Hish twa:Hishtik I miss you very
barsha, ya Habi:bi
miss twa:Hish much, my love !
twa:Hisht! I miss my
twa :Hisht bla:di country
Tabbis bend Yilzmik iTabbish You have to
down Tabbis bash tudkhul bend down to
Tabbist enter
TabTab tap TabTabit 3la ktifha I tapped on her
shoulder
Tarrid Tardittu min she expelled him
banish, da:rha from her house
 expel, lay ish-sharika Tardit the company
off barsha laid off many
(workers) khadd:ama workers
Tarrid Tarridt
Talla3 ‫ﻃﻠﻊ‬ ma najjamtish I could not find
find guess nTalla3 ilbla:Sa the place
Talla3 Talla3t Talla3 wi:n bash guess where I
nsa:fir ! will travel !
udkhul ‫أدﺧﻞ‬ udkhul l ’ilbi:t go into the
go in, enter house
dkhal dkhalt
ufTur ‫أﻓﻄﺮ‬ nufTur f I eat lunch in the
eat, eat ‘ilmaT3am restaurant
lunch fTar
fTart
ughzur ‫أﻏﺰر‬ ughzur l’ iTTufla look at the girl,
look, see mazyanha ! how beautiful
ghzar ghzart « maHla: 3i:ni:k, she is !
ughzurli » « How beautiful
are your eyes,
look at me ! »
 
u:ja3 ache kirshi t-u:ja3 my stomach
wja3 wja3t aches
u:3id w3idni bish yji: he promised me
promise   that he will come
w3id w3id
w3idit
ukhTub il wazi:r al awwal the prime
‫أﺧﻄﺐ‬ bash yukhTub f- minister will give
il3shiyya
 give a a speech in the
speech khTab afternoon
khTabit
ukhTub ukhTub iTTufla illi propose to the
propose for tHibha girl that you love
marriage huwwa khTabha, He proposed to
khTab khTabit lakin rafdhit her for marriage,
but she refused
ur3ush shuftha tur3ush I saw her
tremble m-ilbard trembling from
r3ush r3usht cold
ushkur nushkrik I thank you
thank shkar shkartu 3la I thanked him for
shkart ilmusa:3da the help
waxxir waxxir ilta:li move back, step
(wakhir) waxxir zu:z mi:tru back
move back,   move back two
retreat, step   meters
back waxxir
waxxart
waxxir be ilka:r waxrit the bus is late
late arrive ma: twaxxarsh (came late) don’t
late waxxir 3al khidma be late for work
waxxart
 
wa:faq na3rif illi mahu:sh I know that he
agree wa:faq bish ywa:faq will not agree
wa:faqt mwa:fq-ik I agree with you
wa:Sil ‫واﺻﻞ‬ wa:Sil kla:mik continue your
continue, go ki twa:Sil titkayyif talk
on, keep on tumrudh
 wa:Sal if you keep on
wa:Salt smoking, you
will be ill
waSSil ‫وﺻﻞ‬ waSSil ilmilaf take with you
take with ha:tha li ilmudi:r this file to the
you, twaSSalni m3ak manager
transport, bi ilkarhba ? can you take me
lead taxi waSSliyni li- with you in the
somleone to ilkhidma car
a place, a taxi
escort waSSil transported me
WaSSalt to work
wakkil give wakkil il qTa:Tis feed the cats
to eat, feed
wakkil give wakkil Had give permission
permission yijbidlik ilflu:s to someone to
to someone draw the money
to do for you
something
on your
behalf wakkil
wakkalt
washwish qa:3di:n they are
‫وﺷﻮش‬ ywashwshu whispering
whisper, a:sh qa:3id (murmuring to
murmur twashwshilha ? each other)
washwish what are you
washwasht whispering to
her ?
udkhul ‫أدﺧﻞ‬ udkhul li ilbi:t go into the room
enter, go in
dkhal dkhalt
ukhruj ‫أﺧﺮج‬ ukhruj min id-da go out of the
go out khraj :r house
khrajt
wakhir move wakhir ilta:li ! move back !
back, wakhir karhabtik move back your
retreat, car
recede
wakhar
wakhart
wassa3 bash nwassa3 I will enlarge my
enlarge da:ri house
wassa3
wassa3t
wazza3 wazza3 il wra:q distribute the
distribute 3la iTTalaba sheets to the
wazza3 students
wazza3t
walli ‫وﻟﻲ‬ ki ta:kul barsha when you eat a
become, twalli smi:n lot, you become
start walla walli:t nikhdim fat
walli:t SaHa:fi I have started to
work as a
journalist
warri ‫ورى‬ warri:ni show me your
demonstrate passpo:rik passport
show warri li inna:s illi show people that
inti serieux (jiddi) you are serious
zammir ‫ زﻣﺮ‬zammir b’ilkarhba toot with the car
 
 honk,
sound, toot
zammar
zammart
zarriq ‫زرق‬ zarriq f-ilklini:k have an injection
have an in the clinic
injection
zarraq zarraqt
zu:r visit zurt il janu:b it- have you visited
za:r zurt tu:nsi qbal ? the Tunisian
Sa :Hbi mri :dh, South before ?
yilzimni nzu :ru fi my friend is ill, I
issbiTa:r have to visit him
3umri ma: zurt at the hospital
matHaf Bardo I never visited
Bardo museum
 
zi:d ‫زﻳﺪ‬ zi:d shwayya add a little more
add, do sukkur fi it-ta:y sugar to the tea
something ki tzi:d turqud, if you sleep
more za:d taw Tu :sil more, you will
zidit immakhir li arrive late for
ilkhidma work
zi:d fi-issur3a accelerate
 
zu:z ‫زوز‬ zu:z ilda:khil come in, go
go in, come inside
in enter za:z
zuzt
 
 
Table of phonetic symbols
Arabic description symbol approximate Tunisian
consonant English Arabic
‫ئ إ آ أ ء أ‬ voiced glottal 2 ah, uh, oh is2il (ask)
‫ؤ‬
‫ب‬ Voiced bilabial b bag ba:b (door)
stop
‫ت‬ Voiceless dento- t table talifu:n
alveolar stop (phone)
‫ث‬ Voiceless θ think θum (garlic)
interdental th
fricative
‫ج‬ Voiced post- j jam jumla
alveolar fricative (sentence)
‫ح‬ Devoiced ħ closest sound is ħli:b (milk)
pharyngeal H (h), as in hat.
fricative made by
lightening the
throat. Press
back of tongue
while raising
larynx
‫خ‬ Voiceless alveo- x kh closest sound is xubz (bread)
palatal fricative (k) as in cure –
found in
scottish : Loch
Ness
‫د‬ Voiced dento- d dance dabu:za
alveolar stop (bottle)
‫ذ‬ Voiced ð th this, other ha:ða: (this)
interdental
fricative
‫ر‬ Voiced alveo- r rain Taswi:ra
palatal trill (photo)
‫ز‬ Voiced alveolar z zebra zu:z (two)
fricative
‫س‬ Voiceless s sun sirwa:l
alveolar fricative (pants)
‫ش‬ Voiceless alveo- š sh shore šams (sun)
palatal fricative
‫ص‬ Voiceless S soul Sa :heb
velarised (friend)
alveolar fricative
‫ض‬ Voiced velarised Đ like ð (th), more Đla:m (dark)
 dento-alveolar dh back amplfied
stop
‫ط‬ Voiceless T like (t), but Ta:wla
velarised dento- more back
alveolar stop ,amplfied
‫ع‬ Voiced 3 (a:) nearest is (a:) 3ali: ‘name
pharyngeal ali’
fricative
‫غ‬ Voiced uvular γ (gh) nearest (g) gha:li
fricative (expensive)
‫ف‬ Voiceless labio- f film fi:lm (film)
dental fricative
‫ق‬ Voiceless uvular q nearest (k) qahwa
stop (coffee)
‫ك‬ Voiceless velar k car kta:b (book)
stop
‫ل‬ Voiced alveolar l late lu:n (color)
lateral
‫م‬ Voiced bilabial m mother maryu:l
nasal (sweater)
‫ن‬ Voiced alveolar n neck na:r (fire)
nasal
‫ﮬـ‬ Voiceless glottal h hair huwa (he)
fricative
‫و‬ Voiced labiovelar w word wlad (boy)
glide
‫ي‬ Voiced palatal y year yed (hand)
glide
‫ق‬ voiced velar g game gamra
stop
 
 
 
Vowels
a Front short as in car dar (house)  
open
o back short open pot ħot (put) kol (all)  
e Front short close cell klem (talk)
 
u back short close put kallimtu
i front short close pin kujina (kitchen)  
a: front long open bar da:r (house)
 o: back long open ball paspo :r  
(passport)
e: front long open fell me: (water) je:  
(came)
 
u: back long close snooker, shoot qattu:sa (cat) fu:l
(beans)  
i: front long open feel, beat kbi:r (big) bi:t  
(room)