nsa نسا
Tunisian Derja · verb
“nsa” (نسا) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to forget.
Meanings
- to forget
- women (collective noun, nsa)
- to neglect, leave aside
Usage
As a verb, nsa (imperfect yensa) means "to forget". It is conjugated nsit ("I forgot") or nsitou ("I forgot it"). To say that one forgot to do something, follow it with another verb: nsit nsakker el bab ("I forgot to close the door"). The same written form also corresponds to the noun nsa, "women". This noun appears notably in tbib nsa ("gynecologist"). In arabizi, the verb is often written nsé, which reflects the pronunciation, whereas the noun is usually written nsa. Context is enough to tell them apart.
Example
نسيت المفاتح في الدار.
nsit el mfete7 fel dar.
“I forgot the keys at home.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “nsa” but also “nsé”, “nssa”, “nsaa”, “nse” and “nssaa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find نسا and نسى and نسي, all the same word.
Type “nsa” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to forget”; “to let go, never mind”: nsa in Moroccan.