twensa توانسة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“twensa” (توانسة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning the Tunisians.
Meanings
- the Tunisians
Usage
Twensa is the common plural of tounsi (Tunisian). The form tounsiyin also exists, but it sounds more formal. The word refers to people, and it does not need a capital letter when written in arabizi. It comes up constantly in online comments, in the media and in collective self-mockery: "7na et-twensa…" (we Tunisians…). The feminine singular is tounsiya. The word is not used as an adjective for things: for a Tunisian dish, one says "mekla tounsiya".
Example
التوانسة يحبّو الهريسة في كلّ شي
et-twensa y7ebbou el harissa fi kol chay
“Tunisians love harissa in everything.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “twensa” but also “twanssa”, “twansa” and “touensa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.