bannay بناي
Tunisian Derja · noun
“bannay” (بناي) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning mason, bricklayer.
Meanings
- mason, bricklayer
- construction worker
Usage
Bannay refers to the person who builds: the mason, and more broadly the construction worker. The plural is bannaya. The word comes from the root of "bna" ("to build"). It is a very common word, used when talking about building work, for example "jebna bannay" ("we brought in a mason"). It has no pejorative nuance. Do not confuse it with "mohandes" ("engineer"), nor with the contractor, who is often called "mo9awel".
Example
البنّاي باش يكمّل الحيط غدوة.
el bannay bech ykammel el 7it ghodwa.
“The mason will finish the wall tomorrow.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bannay” but also “bennay”, “banay”, “bnay” and “bannai”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “bannay” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “mason, bricklayer”: bennay in Moroccan.