bounou بونو
Tunisian Derja · noun
“bounou” (بونو) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning ticket (machine, counter).
Meanings
- ticket (machine, counter)
- voucher, coupon (fuel, purchase)
Usage
Adapted borrowing from French "bon", very common in Tunisia: bounou refers to a ticket taken from a machine or a counter (parking, queue, canteen) as well as fuel or purchase vouchers distributed by a company. Typical constructions: chri bounou (to buy a ticket), a3tini bounou. Plural: bounouet. For a train or show ticket, one would rather say tiki or tasskra. The word is colloquial but not vulgar, and understood everywhere in the country.
Example
لازمك تشري بونو قبل ما تركب.
lezmek tichri bounou 9bal ma terkeb.
“You have to buy a ticket before you get on.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bounou” but also “bonou”, “bono” and “bounnou”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.