mouch موش
Tunisian Derja · particle
“mouch” (موش) is a particle in Tunisian Derja meaning not (before adjective, noun).
Meanings
- not (before adjective, noun)
- isn't that so? (question)
Usage
A negation particle used before an adjective, a noun, an adverb, a participle or a future construction: mouch mewjouda (not available), mouch taw (not now), mouch bech nemchi (I'm not going to go). A conjugated verb is instead negated with ma…ch: ma nemchich. A common mistake is to put mouch before a simple verb. In a question, mouch asks for confirmation: mouch hakka? (isn't that so?). Depending on the region, you also hear mich or mech.
Example
الماكلة موش سخونة
el makla mouch skhouna
“The food is not hot.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mouch” but also “mech”, “mich”, “moush” and “mch”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.