ne3ma نعمة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“ne3ma” (نعمة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning blessing, grace of God.
Meanings
- blessing, grace of God
- food, bread (to be respected)
Usage
Ne3ma means a blessing granted by God: health, peace, abundance. It is heard mostly in wishing formulas such as rabbi ydoumha ne3ma (may God make this blessing last), said in front of a happy situation or a good meal. In Tunisia, the word also means food, especially bread: one picks up a piece fallen on the ground saying hedhi ne3ma, because it must not be thrown away. It should not be confused with ni3ma in the religious formula "7asbi allah wa ni3ma el wakil", which is a different word.
Example
الحمد لله، ربّي يدومها نعمة
el 7amdoulilah, rabbi ydoumha ne3ma
“Thank God, may God make this blessing last.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ne3ma” but also “na3ma”, “ni3ma” and “n3ma”. 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.