ba3dma بعدما
Tunisian Derja · conjunction
“ba3dma” (بعدما) is a conjunction in Tunisian Derja meaning after (conjunction).
Meanings
- after (conjunction)
- once
Usage
Ba3d ma introduces a temporal clause: "after", "once". It is followed by a conjugated verb, usually in the perfect: ba3d ma klina, "after we ate". An English speaker will naturally use a form like "after eating", but in derja the verb is always conjugated with a subject, as in ba3d ma rja3t, "after I came back". Before a noun, ba3d is used alone, without ma: ba3d el ftour, "after the meal". The word is written either joined or as two words. In informal speech, it can also express contrast, in the sense of "whereas".
Example
بعد ما كلينا خرجنا نحوّسو
ba3d ma klina 5rajna n7awsou
“After we ate, we went out for a walk.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, it is written “ba3dma”. 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.