menzel منزل
Tunisian Derja · noun
“menzel” (منزل) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning house, dwelling.
Meanings
- house, dwelling
- element in town names
Usage
Menzel means "house, dwelling". In everyday conversation, people say dar instead. Menzel appears mostly in real-estate ads, administrative documents and a more formal register. The word is very common in Tunisian place names: Menzel Bourguiba, Menzel Temime, Menzel Bouzelfa, Menzel Jemil, etc. In these cases it is part of the proper name and is not translated. For a learner, it is best to use dar when speaking and to recognise menzel in writing and in place names.
Example
شرى منزل في المرسى
chra menzel fel marsa
“He bought a house in La Marsa.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “menzel” but also “manzel”, “mnzl” and “menzil”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.