manich منيش
Tunisian Derja · pronoun
“manich” (منيش) is a pronoun in Tunisian Derja meaning I am not.
Meanings
- I am not
- I'm not going to (with bech)
Usage
Mnich is the first-person singular negation: ana + ma…ch. It replaces the verb "to be," which doesn't exist in the present tense in derja. It goes before an adjective or participle, for example "mnich fehem" (I don't understand) or "mnich mrigel" (I'm not well). Followed by bech and a verb, it expresses the negative future: "mnich bech nemchi" (I'm not going to go). The full form manich coexists with mnich. Other persons follow the same pattern: mech (you are not), mouch (he is not).
Example
منيش فاهم آش تحب تقول
mnich fehem ach t7eb t9oul
“I don't understand what you mean.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “manich” but also “mnich”, “manech” and “menich”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.