za3ma زعما
Tunisian Derja · particle
“za3ma” (زعما) is a particle in Tunisian Derja meaning supposedly, so-called.
Meanings
- supposedly, so-called
- I mean, like, actually
- could it be that?
Usage
Za3ma is a particle found everywhere in Tunisian speech. It often expresses doubt or irony: "za3ma mridh" means "supposedly sick". It is also a filler word, close to "like" or "I mean", when you are searching for words or rephrasing. At the start of a question, it expresses puzzlement: "za3ma chnowa sar?" (what on earth could have happened?). The tone is informal. It can also be used on its own as a mocking reply: "za3ma!" (yeah, right!).
Example
زعما ما فهمتش؟
za3ma ma fhemtech?
“So you supposedly didn't understand?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “za3ma” but also “zaama”, “z3ma”, “za3ama” and “zaema”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find زعما and زعمة, all the same word.
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 “za3ma” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “supposedly, allegedly”; “like, I mean, for example”: za3ma in Algerian.