do3a دعاء
Tunisian Derja · noun
“do3a” (دعاء) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning supplication, prayer to God.
Meanings
- supplication, prayer to God
- wish, blessing or curse
Usage
Do3a refers to a personal prayer addressed to God to ask for something. It is not the ritual prayer, which is called salla or salét. The best-known expression is "do3a el-waldin", the blessing of one's parents, which is considered very precious. "Rja3 3lih do3a el-waldin" means that this parental blessing (or curse) has caught up with him. In speech you also hear da3wa, which refers mainly to a spoken wish, good or bad: "da3wet khir" (a wish for good), "da3wet char" (a curse). The corresponding verb is da3a / yed3i.
Example
الحمد لله، نجحت بدعاء الوالدين.
l7amdoulah, nja7t b do3a el waldin.
“Thank God, I succeeded thanks to my parents' prayers.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “do3a” but also “dou3a”, “duaa” and “do3aa”. 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.