gamra قمرة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“gamra” (قمرة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning moon.
Meanings
- moon
- cabin, compartment (formal)
Usage
In Tunisia, gamra (often written with ڨ) is the common word for the moon. One says el gamra kamla for the full moon. It is also a compliment: a beautiful girl or child is "kif el gamra", like the moon. The sense of cabin or train compartment comes from standard Arabic (qamra) and is rare in speech, where a word borrowed from French is preferred. Pitfall: the pronunciation changes with the meaning, gamra for the moon, qamra for the cabin.
Example
القمرة الليلة كاملة وتضوي برشا.
el gamra el lila kamla w tadhwi barcha.
“Tonight the moon is full and shines brightly.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “gamra” but also “gomra”, “9amra” and “qamra”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.