jem3i جامعي
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“jem3i” (جامعي) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning university, of the university.
Meanings
- university, of the university
- university lecturer
Usage
Jem3i is the adjective derived from jem3a, "university". It is found mostly in common Tunisian expressions: ostedh jem3i, "university professor", mat3am jem3i, "university restaurant", sakan jem3i, "university residence". Used on its own as a noun, it means an academic, a higher-education teacher. The word comes from Standard Arabic but is well integrated into everyday usage. In speech, students also say resto or foyer for the university restaurant and residence.
Example
خويا ياكل في المطعم الجامعي.
khouya yekel fil mat3am ejjem3i.
“My brother eats at the university restaurant.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “jem3i” but also “jam3i” and “jami3i”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.