mna3 منع

Tunisian Derja · verb

“mna3” (منع) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to forbid, prohibit.

Meanings

1. to forbid, prohibit
2. to prevent
3. mna3 men: to escape, be spared

Usage

Mna3 (imperfect yemna3) means to forbid or prevent: mna3ni nokhrej (he forbade me to go out). The noun man3 appears in expressions such as man3 el 7aml (contraception), or mamnou3 (forbidden), very common on signs: mamnou3 ettadkhin. Constructed with men, the verb takes a different meaning: mna3 men means to escape a danger, to come through it, and ma mna3tch minhom means "I didn't escape them". This sense is specific to Tunisian and may surprise a learner trained in Standard Arabic. Rabbi yemna3ek, "may God protect you", comes from the same idea of protection.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mna3” but also “mana3”, “mnaa”, “mna3t” and “mena3”. 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.

Type “mna3” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to forbid, ban”; “to prevent someone from doing”: mne3 in Moroccan.