3ammi عمي
Algerian Darja · noun
“3ammi” (عمي) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning paternal uncle.
Meanings
- paternal uncle
- sir (respectful address to older man)
- uncle on the father's side
Usage
Literally, 3ammi means the uncle on the father's side, whereas the maternal uncle is khali. It is also a respectful, affectionate term of address for any older man, even a stranger: a shopkeeper, a neighbour, a driver. It is placed before a first name to refer to a familiar or popular figure, such as an actor or a neighbourhood elder: 3ammi Said. The feminine equivalent is 3ammti ("my paternal aunt"), and khalti is also used as a respectful address to an older woman. For an English speaker, the pitfall is always translating it as "my uncle": in the street it is closer to "sir", said warmly.
Example
صح عمي، قداش هاد الطماطم؟
sa77a 3ammi, 9addach had tomatich?
“Hello, sir, how much are these tomatoes?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3ammi” but also “3emmi”, “ammi”, “3mi”, “3ami” and “3am”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find عمي and عم, all the same word.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.
Type “3ammi” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “my paternal uncle”; “sir (to an older man)”: 3mi in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “my paternal uncle”; “sir (respectful address to an older man)”: 3ammi in Tunisian.