mat3am مطعم
Tunisian Derja · noun
“mat3am” (مطعم) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning restaurant.
Meanings
- restaurant
- canteen, communal eatery
Usage
Mat3am means "restaurant." In Tunisia, the word is very common on signs and in administrative usage. The most common case is mat3am jem3i, the university restaurant, which students often call simply "resto." In speech, many Tunisians also say "restaurant" the French way, especially for an upscale establishment. Mat3am is used more for a simple place or a canteen. The plural is mata3em. For a small snack place, one says rather "gargote" or "fast-food."
Example
نتغداو اليوم في المطعم الجامعي.
netghadew lyoum fel mat3am jem3i.
“Today we're having lunch at the university restaurant.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mat3am” but also “mata3m”, “mataam” and “mat3em”. 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.