3mal عمل
Tunisian Derja · verb
“3mal” (عمل) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to do, perform an action.
Meanings
- to do, perform an action
- to make, prepare
- to treat, act towards someone
Usage
3mal (imperfect ya3mel) is the general-purpose verb for "to do" or "to make" in Tunisian. It covers concrete actions (preparing a dish, making an object) as well as abstract expressions: 3mal jaw (to have fun, liven things up), 3mal ro7ou (to pretend), 3mal mezya (to do a favour). With m3a it means "to behave towards": 3mal m3ah haka, "he did that to him". Note that it does not mean "to work" in everyday speech, where khdem is used instead. The sense of "work" belongs to standard Arabic. The conjugation is regular: 3malt, 3malna, 3amlou.
Example
علاه عملوا معها هكّا هههه
3leh 3amlou m3aha haka Hhhh
“Why did they do that to her? haha”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3mal” but also “3mel”, “3amel” and “a3mel”. 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 “3mal” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “work, collective effort”; “action, deed”: 3amal in Moroccan.