weld 3ammi ولد عمي
Tunisian Derja · expression
“weld 3ammi” (ولد عمي) is an expression in Tunisian Derja meaning my paternal cousin.
Meanings
- my paternal cousin
- buddy (informal)
Usage
Weld 3ammi specifically means the son of one's paternal uncle. The son of a maternal uncle is weld khali, and the sons of aunts are weld 3amti (paternal side) and weld khalti (maternal side). English "cousin" makes no such distinction, hence a common pitfall. The feminine is bent 3ammi. In the street, weld 3ammi is also used to address a stranger or a friend informally, like "my brother" or "my mate". The plural is wléd 3ammi.
Example
ولد عمي جاي من فرنسا الصيف هذا
weld 3ammi jey men franssa e-sif hedha
“My cousin is coming from France this summer.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “weld 3ammi” but also “wled 3ami”, “weld 3ami” and “ould 3ammi”. 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 “weld 3ammi” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “my cousin (paternal uncle's son)”; “close relative, kinsman”: wld 3mmi in Moroccan.