snaye3i صنايعي
Tunisian Derja · noun
“snaye3i” (صنايعي) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning craftsman, skilled worker.
Meanings
- craftsman, skilled worker
- skilled, good at one's trade
Usage
Snaye3i refers to someone who has mastered a manual trade: mason, plumber, electrician, carpenter, mechanic. It is often contrasted with 5addem, the mere labourer or employee. When reporting bad work, people readily say mahouch snaye3i ("he's not a real professional"). The word is also used as a compliment for someone who is skilful, even outside the building trades. The usual plural is sna3ya. The register is familiar and everyday. It does not refer to artistic handicrafts; it mainly covers the building and repair trades.
Example
جبت صنايعي باش يصلح الدوش.
jebt snaye3i bech ysalla7 eddouch.
“I brought in a craftsman to fix the shower.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “snaye3i” but also “sna3i”, “snayi3i”, “sneye3i” and “sanay3i”. 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.
Type “snaye3i” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “craftsman, tradesman”; “person skilled with their hands”: snay3i in Algerian.