3amti عمتي
Tunisian Derja · noun
“3amti” (عمتي) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning my paternal aunt.
Meanings
- my paternal aunt
- auntie (address for an older woman)
Usage
3amti means "my aunt", but only on the father's side: she is the father's sister. The mother's sister is called "khalti". English does not make this distinction either, so take care. "Weld 3amti" means the son of one's paternal aunt, so a cousin. The word is also used to politely address an older woman you don't know, for example in the market or in the street. In that case, "khalti" is actually more common. Without a possessive, one says "3amma".
Example
عمتي جات تزورنا في العيد.
3amti jet tzourna fil 3id.
“My paternal aunt came to visit us for Eid.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3amti” but also “aamti”, “amti”, “3ammti” and “3amty”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
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 “3amti” 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 aunt”: 3mti in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “my paternal aunt”; “ma'am (respectful address)”: 3amti in Algerian.