homa هما
Tunisian Derja · pronoun
“homa” (هما) is a pronoun in Tunisian Derja meaning they (subject pronoun).
Meanings
- they (subject pronoun)
- them (emphatic)
Usage
Homa is the third-person plural personal pronoun. It is used for both masculine and feminine: Tunisian does not distinguish "they" (masc.) and "they" (fem.). Since the verb already carries the person, it is used mainly for emphasis or in sentences without a verb: homa houni (they are here). It is also placed after a noun to pick it up again, as in a question: bkadech homa? (how many are they, how much do you sell them for?). The forms houma and homma exist depending on the region.
Example
هما جاو البارح من صفاقس.
homa jew lbere7 men sfax.
“They arrived yesterday from Sfax.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “homa” but also “houma”, “huma”, “homma” and “houm”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.