hamdoulah حمدوالله
Tunisian Derja · interjection
“hamdoulah” (حمدوالله) is an interjection in Tunisian Derja meaning thank God, praise be to God.
Meanings
- thank God, praise be to God
- I'm fine (reply)
Usage
Ḥamdoullah, often preceded by the article (el-ḥamdoullah), is the joined, phonetic spelling of the formula "praise be to God". In Tunisia it is used constantly, without necessarily any strong religious intent. It is the expected reply to "chnowa ḥwalek?" (how are you?), even when things are not going perfectly. It also expresses relief after good news or ends a complaint with resignation: "lebès, ḥamdoullah". Spellings vary widely in arabizi.
Example
لاباس، الحمدولله، والعايلة لاباس
labes, hamdoulah, w el 3ayla labes
“I'm fine, thank God, and the family is fine.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hamdoulah” but also “7amdoulah”, “hamdoullah” and “el7amdoulillah”. 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.