mahamma مهمة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“mahamma” (مهمة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning mission, work trip.
Meanings
- mission, work trip
- task, duty
Usage
Mahamma is a loanword from Standard Arabic, well integrated into Tunisian. It is used mainly in professional and administrative contexts: "3andi mahamma fi Sfax" ("I'm on a mission in Sfax"). It is also used for an important task entrusted to someone. In ordinary conversation, for a simple chore, people say khidma ("work") instead, or use the French "mission". The homographic adjective mohimma means "important": "hkéya mohimma". Without vowels, the spelling is identical, and context distinguishes the two words.
Example
خويا في مهمّة في الجزائر
khouya fi mahamma fil djazayer
“My brother is on a mission in Algeria.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mahamma” but also “mohema”, “mahama” and “mouhamma”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “mahamma” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “mission, assigned task”; “duty, responsibility”: mohima in Moroccan.