thammech ثماش
Tunisian Derja · expression
“thammech” (ثماش) is an expression in Tunisian Derja meaning is there?.
Meanings
- is there?
- there isn't
Usage
Thammech is a regional variant of fammech, heard mainly in the Sahel and the South. It is formed on thamma, "there is", plus the suffix -ch. In a question, it means "is there…?": thammech khobz ?, "is there any bread?". It is often used to look for someone, for example thammech chkoun…, "is there anyone who…". With ma in front, the sentence becomes negative: ma thammech, "there isn't". The register is informal and spoken. In Tunis, people would rather say fammech.
Example
ثمّاش خبز في الدار؟
thammech khobz fi eddar?
“Is there any bread in the house?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “thammech” but also “thamech”, “thammach” and “themmech”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.