mzammra مزمرة
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“mzammra” (مزمرة) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning bad, rough (situation).
Meanings
- bad, rough (situation)
- in a sorry state
Usage
Mzammra is the feminine of mzammer. It is a colloquial adjective that mainly describes a situation, a period or living conditions seen as bad, hard or stuck. It is generally used with feminine nouns such as el 7ala (the situation), edhourouf (the circumstances) or Tunisia itself, and often in a context of complaint: unemployment, the high cost of living, hardship. The register is spoken and relaxed, close to the French "pourri" or "la galère" ("rotten" or "a nightmare"). You hear it in conversation and read it on social media, but not in formal speech. It must agree: mzammer for the masculine, mzammra for the feminine.
Example
الحالة مزمرة برشا هالأيامات
el 7ala mzammra barcha hal ayyemet
“The situation is really rotten these days.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mzammra” but also “mzamra”, “mzemra” and “mzemmra”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.