mzia مزية
Tunisian Derja · noun
“mzia” (مزية) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning favor, service rendered.
Meanings
- favor, service rendered
- kindness one owes in return
Usage
Mzia means a favor or a service rendered. The most frequent phrase is "a3mel mzia" (do me a favor, be kind), which serves as a polite formula equivalent to "please". People also say "3mal 3liya mzia" (he did me a favor). The word often implies a moral debt: "la mzia l7add" means "I owe nothing to anyone", and it is also used to reproach someone for bringing up their good deeds ("ma t3ayarnich bel mzia"). Do not confuse it with "mzyen" (nice, good).
Example
اعمل مزية، سكّر الباب.
a3mel mzia, sakker el beb.
“Do me a favor, close the door.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mzia” but also “mziya”, “mzeya” and “mzeyya”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “mzia” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “favor, kindness, good turn”; “advantage, merit”: mzia in Moroccan.