mech مش
Tunisian Derja · particle
“mech” (مش) is a particle in Tunisian Derja meaning not (before noun, adjective).
Meanings
- not (before noun, adjective)
- isn't it? (in questions)
Usage
"Mech", often pronounced "mouch", is the negation for sentences without a conjugated verb. It goes before an adjective, a noun, a participle or an adverb: "mouch behi" ("not good"), "mouch mawjoud" ("not here"). For a conjugated verb, the discontinuous negation "ma… ch" is used instead: "ma fhemtch" ("I didn't understand"). At the start of a question, it asks for confirmation: "mouch qolt lek ?" ("didn't I tell you?"). The English gloss "cat" in the sources does not match common usage.
Example
جوّ موش نورمال .
Jaw moch normal .
“Not a normal atmosphere.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mech” but also “mouch”, “moch”, “mich”, “mesh” and “mch”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.