3azza عزا
Tunisian Derja · verb
“3azza” (عزا) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to offer condolences to someone.
Meanings
- to offer condolences to someone
- to console, comfort
Usage
The verb 3azza, present y3azzi, is used above all on a death. The typical construction is 3azza + person + fi + deceased: 3azzitou fi bouh, "I offered him my condolences for his father". Aller y3azzi means going to the bereaved family's home during the days of mourning. The noun 3za, or l'3za, refers to this mourning period and gathering. Pitfall: in online writing, the spelling 3aza can also stand for 3izz, honour or glory, which has nothing to do with mourning.
Example
مشيت عزّيتو في بوه البارح
mchit 3azzitou fi bouh lbere7
“I went to offer him my condolences for his father yesterday.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3azza” but also “3aza”, “3azzé”, “aazza” and “3azzit”. 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 “3azza” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to offer condolences”; “to console”: 3zza in Moroccan.