romansi رومنسي
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“romansi” (رومنسي) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning romantic, sentimental.
Meanings
- romantic, sentimental
- cheesy, saccharine (film, song)
Usage
Romansi is a French loanword adapted to Tunisian phonology and very common. It describes a tender, caring person, an atmosphere (a dinner, an evening) or a genre of film, series or song. The feminine is romansiya, the plural romansiyin. It is heard in casual conversation, often in a teasing tone, to gently mock someone acting overly sentimental. In formal language, terms of Arabic origin are sometimes preferred, but in speech it is the spontaneous form. Watch the pronunciation: the stress falls on the last syllable, with no nasal vowel.
Example
راجلها رومنسي برشة، ديما يجيبلها الورد.
rajelha romansi barcha, dima yjiblha el ward.
“Her husband is very romantic, he always brings her flowers.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “romansi” but also “romanci” and “romansy”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.