hamdallah حمدالله
Tunisian Derja · expression
“hamdallah” (حمدالله) is an expression in Tunisian Derja meaning thank God.
Meanings
- thank God
- welcome back (hamdallah 3la slema)
Usage
A contracted form of el 7amdoulillah, very common in speech. Its most fixed use is hamdallah 3la slema, a phrase said to someone coming back from a trip, leaving hospital or recovering from an ordeal; the reply is allah ysalmek. On its own, hamdallah expresses relief: "thank God". Note that Hamdallah is also a surname borne by a well-known footballer, so some online results refer to the person and not to the expression.
Example
حمدالله على السلامة، كيفاش جات الطريق؟
Hamdallah 3la slema, kifech jet etthniya?
“Welcome back! How was the journey?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hamdallah” but also “7amdallah”, “hamdella”, “7amdella” and “hamdoullah”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.