thniya ثنية
Tunisian Derja · noun
“thniya” (ثنية) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning path, road.
Meanings
- path, road
- journey, trip
- direction, side
Usage
Thniya is the usual word for “path” or “road”. It is used mainly for the route one follows, more than for the road surface itself. Fi thniya means “on the way”: fi thniyti (“on my way”). Chadd thniytou means “to set off toward” or “to resume one's journey”. Kol wa7ed fi thniya means “each going his own way”. The word also refers to the journey: ma 7assinech b-thniya (“we didn't notice the journey go by”). The plural is thnayet. Note that thniya often implies movement in progress.
Example
طلعت مع تاكسيست آخر يقول لي نوصّلوا العباد اللي في ثنيّتنا
Tla3t m3a taxiste ekher y9oli nwaslou la3bed eli fi theyetna
“I got in with another taxi driver, who says to me: let's drop off the people who are on our way.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “thniya” but also “thneya”, “thneyya”, “thnaya”, “tniya” and “thneyet”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.