bla mziya بلا مزية
Algerian Darja · expression
“bla mziya” (بلا مزية) is an expression in Algerian Darja meaning you're welcome, don't mention it.
Meanings
- you're welcome, don't mention it
- owing nobody anything
Usage
Bla mziya literally means "without favor": mziya refers to the kindness, the service rendered for which one would be indebted. The expression is used to answer thanks, meaning that the favor was only natural and nothing is expected in return. It can also stress that one acts without owing anyone a debt, or that one refuses to owe a favor. Tone matters: said warmly, it is polite; said curtly, it can signal distance, even reproach. The word mziya is also used on its own, for example "3andek mziya 3liya" (I owe you one).
Example
صحيت خويا! — بلا مزية، هذا واجب
sahit khouya! — bla mziya, hada wadjeb
“Thanks, brother! — Don't mention it, it's only right.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bla mziya” but also “bla mzia”, “bla mzya” and “bla mezia”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.