yajma3a ياجماعة
Tunisian Derja · expression
“yajma3a” (ياجماعة) is an expression in Tunisian Derja meaning hey folks, hey everyone.
Meanings
- hey folks, hey everyone
- come on, everyone
Usage
Ya jmaa addresses a group: "guys", "friends", "all of you". It is very common in speech and on social media. It is used to get attention, to call on the audience as witnesses, often with a nuance of surprise or insistence, or to launch a collective appeal after yalla. It addresses a mixed group and implies no hierarchy. At the end of a sentence, it reinforces the emotion rather than actually addressing anyone. The register is familiar and warm, not vulgar at all.
Example
يا جماعة، شكون جاي معانا غدوة؟
ya jma3a, chkoun jey m3ana ghodwa?
“Guys, who's coming with us tomorrow?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, it is written “yajma3a”. 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.