In Tunisia, you can get by very well with French. But a few words of Tunisian Arabic (Derja) will bring a smile to every Tunisian's face — and open doors that would otherwise remain closed.
Greeting & Politeness
| German | Tunisian (Derja) | French |
|---|
| Hello (Islamic) | Salam Alaykum (Response: Wa Alaykum as-Salam) | Bonjour |
| Hello (informal) | Aslema | Salut |
| Good morning | Sbah el-Khir | Bonjour |
| Good evening | Msa el-Khir | Bonsoir |
| Goodbye | Besslema | Au revoir |
| Thank you | Shukran / Yaishek | Merci |
| Please | Min fadlek | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes / No | Ih / La | Oui / Non |
| Excuse me | Samahni | Excusez-moi |
| How are you? | Labess? (Response: Labess, Hamdullah) | Comment allez-vous? |
| I'm fine | Labess, el-Hamdulillah | Ça va bien |
Useful Phrases
| German | Tunisian (Derja) | French |
|---|
| How much does it cost? | Bqaddesh? / Qaddesh? | C'est combien? |
| Too expensive! | Ghali bezef! | C'est trop cher! |
| Where is...? | Win...? | Où est...? |
| I don't understand | Ma fhemtesh | Je ne comprends pas |
| Do you speak English? | Tahki anglizi? | Parlez-vous anglais? |
| No problem | Mafamma hatta moshkla | Pas de problème |
| God willing | Inshallah | — |
| Thank God | El-Hamdulillah | — |
| Enough! | Yezzi! | Ça suffit! |
| Delicious! | Bnin! | Délicieux! |
| Beautiful! | Zwin! | Beau! |
Food & Drink
| German | Tunisian | French |
|---|
| Water | Ma | Eau |
| Bread | Khobz | Pain |
| Coffee | Qahwa | Café |
| Tea | Tey | Thé |
| Meat | Lahm | Viande |
| Fish | Hout | Poisson |
| The bill, please | El-Hssab, min fadlek | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
Numbers
| Number | Tunisian | Number | Tunisian |
|---|
| 1 | Wahid | 6 | Sitta |
| 2 | Zouz | 7 | Sebaa |
| 3 | Tletha | 8 | Thmanya |
| 4 | Arbaa | 9 | Tesaa |
| 5 | Khamsa | 10 | Ashra |
