fransawi فرنساوي
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“fransawi” (فرنساوي) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning French (adjective).
Meanings
- French (adjective)
- a Frenchman
- French-style, Westernised
Usage
Fransawi means "French": fransawi in the masculine, fransawiya in the feminine, fransawiyin in the plural. It describes a person, a product, a cuisine or a car. Used as a noun, it means a French person. For the language itself, el fransé is more usual, for example yahki bel fransé, "he speaks French". The word is neutral and common, pronounced close to franssaoui.
Example
شريت خبزة فرنساوية من الكوشة.
chrit khobza fransawiya mel kouucha.
“I bought a French loaf from the bakery.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “fransawi” but also “fransaoui”, “frensawi” and “fransewi”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find فرنساوي and فرانساوي, all the same word.
Type “fransawi” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
The same word also exists in Moroccan Darija, written فرانساوي, where it means “French (from France)”; “a Frenchman, a Frenchwoman”: fransawi in Moroccan.