memnou3 ممنوع
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“memnou3” (ممنوع) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning forbidden, prohibited.
Meanings
- forbidden, prohibited
Usage
Memnou3 means forbidden. It is read on signs, for example memnou3 et-tadkhin ("no smoking"), and is commonly used in speech. It can be followed by a conjugated verb or a noun: "memnou3 tdokhel", "memnou3 el wqouf". The feminine is memnou3a and the plural memnou3in. It corresponds to "forbidden" or "prohibited" in almost all their uses, including family or religious prohibitions.
Example
ممنوع تدخّن هوني.
memnou3 tdakhen houni.
“Smoking is forbidden here.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “memnou3” but also “mamnou3” and “mamnou3a”. 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.