Language – Tunisian Experience

The very first skill you will need in your interactions with Tunisians is how to say “Hello.” Whether you’re hoping to make Tunisian friends, or if you’re traveling to Tunisia and want to be able to initiate a casual conversation, there is one word that is unique to Tunisian Arabic that you will use more than any other. The Tunisian word for “Hi” or “Hello” is Aslema. While there are many other greetings in French or more formal Arabic, Aslema is a greeting unique to Tunisian Arabic, and it is the most common greeting that Tunisians share with each other. If you are just now reading this while you're already boarding a flight to Tunisia and you need to learn some Tunisian words fast, just stick with Aslema and you will be fine. But if you want to get a little more breadth and depth on how to say “Hello” to a Tunisian, read on! Aslema: The Most Important Greeting Aslema is a shorthand word that basically means “Peace.” Many Arabic-speaking countries use the full, traditional Muslim greeting: asalam alaykum, which literally means “May the peace of Allah be upon you.” Notice how that same word “salem” is in the short and the long versions. Aslema just shortens the full Arabic greeting. Aslema is the most important greeting in Tunisia because it is a unique, Tunisian Arabic word. Tunisia is an Arabic-speaking country, with French as its second language. But, as is the case in all Arabic countries, there’s an important difference between Standard Arabic, which is spoken throughout the Arab world, and the local dialect of Arabic in any given country. Tunisia has its own dialect of Arabic, just like Egypt has theirs, Lebanon has theirs, etc. Aslema Usually Comes with Other Greetings While aslema is the most widely used greeting in Tunisia, people usually follow it up with a few variants of “You good? How are you?” I say "usually" because the exception to the rule may very much apply to you if you’re going to interact with Tunisians that are serving you in some capacity, like hotel workers and shop keepers. So, when is it ok to just stick with Aslema? I’ve noticed that Tunisians will limit their greetings to only Aslema if they don’t know each other and they don’t expect a relationship to develop. For example, a Tunisian guy walks up to a store clerk to ask a question. He says “Aslema” and the store clerk responds with “Aslema.” Then the customer says in Tunisian, “Uh, forgive me but….” and then proceeds to ask his question. As far as I can tell, that is considered to be a polite exchange. If you’re vacationing in Tunisia, chances are the great majority of your exchanges with Tunisians will be this kind of interaction. Aslema just starts the conversation and also shows them some respect because you’re addressing them in their preferred language. You can then ask your question in English or French. If you aspire to make some Tunisian friends, it will help to learn some other greetings that can supplement your aslema. When I observe two Tunisians who don’t know each other being introduced by a mutual friend, they start with Aslema and quickly add one or two versions of “How are you?” If you get to witness two Tunisians who know each other and haven’t seen each other in a while, the greeting stage goes on and on. They quickly exchange courtesies back and forth, both answering and asking questions. Just one person will rapidly say, “Aslema! You good? Are you good? How are you? Praise God. You good? How are you? Is your health good? Praise God.” I’m not exaggerating here. From a Westerner’s perspective, this little greeting ritual seems excessively long. However, if you get comfortable enough with giving and receiving greetings, and if you finally get to partake in one of these reunions with a Tunisian friend, it is an awful lot of fun and it begins to make more sense of why they do it. How to Say “How Are You?” in Tunisian Now, if you’re up for learning those extra greetings, here are two of the basics. I’m giving you my understanding of the translation and I’m spelling them the way they sound to me. The first set is centered around Lebes. Lebes? You good? Lebes intee? Are you good? Lebes aleek? It is good with you? Lebes means “good.” They use labes in other sentences like, “He was sick but now he’s labes.” The second set is a little harder. Shnee-ya hwaylek? How are you? Shnee-ya hwalekom? How are y’all / you all? Shnee-ya hwalek is more of a full sentence. If you’re giving a string of greetings to a friend, I’ve noticed that shnee-ya hwalek comes after lebes. Saying Goodbye in Tunisian Arabic Of course, if you successfully used Aslema to get yourself into a conversation, you will want to exit just as gracefully as you entered. In Tunisian Arabic, the word for “Goodbye” is Bislema. This literally means “with peace,” and I suppose it is shorthand for “Go with peace.” It is also a Tunisian spin off of the Standard Arabic Masalema, which also means “with peace.” Time Specific Greetings In Tunisian Arabic, you alter the greeting with the time of day just as you would in English. The Tunisian word for “Good morning” is Sebah khir. This is a challenging word and there are a few things you should know when attempting it. First, if you don’t know any Arabic, the kh in khir is when you try and roll a K sound. It is a raspy sound from your throat and sort of from the top of your mouth at the same time (I’m not a linguist!). Imagine you have a little piece of food stuck at the top of your throat. What sound do you make when you try to get it out? That’s the kh in khir. Secondly, if khir is just too much to handle, you can replace it with noor to make what sounds like Sebah noor. This just means “bright morning.” I often hear it used in response to the more common Sebah khir. Thirdly, I’ve noticed from Arabic resources, even Tunisian ones, that they try to instruct you to pronounce all of the syllables in the Arabic words for “Good morning.” If we’re being precise, there is an al between sebah and khir that makes it sebah al khir. To me it kind of sounds like sebah hal khir. I would argue, though, that this extra syllable is unnecessary, because I almost never hear Tunisians pronounce it this way in real life. Another greeting to know of is the one for “Good evening” or “Good night.” Actually, it’s not so much a greeting because it’s used when people are departing, instead of “Goodbye.” The Tunisian word for “Goodnight” is Tis bala khir. This pronunciation is abbreviated from the formal Arabic Tisbah ala khir. The Tunisian version shaves off a syllable in the middle of the phrase. Again, kh in khir is the rolling K sound. Obviously, you can’t replace khir with noor this time because “Bright night” would not make sense! The French Option Finally, it is worth noting that you can also replace all of these Tunisian Arabic words with French words when saying “Hello” and greeting your Tunisian friends. It is very common to hear Tunisians use French greetings. Since just about all Tunisians speak French as a second language, there will be no barrier of understanding. There is a downside to sticking with French greetings, though. If you are a foreigner and you use Bonjour to say “Hello” to a Tunisian, this is a little less personable. I think it signals to the Tunisian person that you are a little less interested in their unique culture and not as willing to learn from them. Aslema is so easy to say that you might as well give it a try! So, there you have it! Your basic options for saying “Hello” to your new Tunisian acquaintances. I hope this helps you break the ice and impress all of the Tunisians around you, and I especially hope it opens doors for you to experience more on your next visit to Tunisia. So until next time, Bislema!