Homes in Tunisian Arabic

This article will detail the terminology and additional information about residential dwellings in Tunisian Arabic.

The article covers these sections:

• Houses
• Apartments (units & buildings)
• Larger detached homes
• Palaces & mansions
• Buildings
• Ancillary terminology

And be aware of the IBL list on this topic — IBL: Tunisian Arabic — Around the home. This list may be of assistance too— it has over 80 principal Tunisian Arabic translations with recordings & over 300 statements available.

Houses

The most general and common word for “House” in Tunisian Arabic is (sing.) Dar / دار (pl.) Dyar / ديار. These words are based on Standard Arabic (fos7a / فصحى) and is also used in other (but not all) Arabic dialects to refer to a home. (As examples, other dialects that use Dar are Algerian and Moroccan)

The word Dar can be applied to any singular residential unit: Whether it’s a detached home, attached home (e.g., semi-detached), or unit in a high-rise apartment building.

As you know, English has the synonyms house and home. The use of the two words can slightly vary based on the speaker or writer. (e.g., Home can either be used synonymous with the word “House” or it can be used to represent a place where someone has the feeling of principally belonging) The latter concept, as a singular word, doesn’t exist in Tunisian Arabic.

IBL Contributor, Nada A., speaks Dar & Dyar:

Apartments (units & buildings)

In the context of an apartment building, a residential unit, in addition to Dar (covered above), is commonly called (sing.) (m)  Appartement / أبارتمون (pl.) and Des appartements /دايز ابارتمون. (The foregoing have obvious direct roots from French, given the spellings)

In Tunisian Arabic, whether someone rents or owns a unit in an apartment building (i.e., a mid- or high-rise building), Appartement can be used to refer to that residential dwelling.

When it comes to the actual apartment building, most commonly (sing.) Résidence / ريزيدونس (pl.) Des résidences / داي ريزيدونس are used. Note that the legal concept of a condominium corporation exists in Tunisia (collectively, the owners of all the units of an residential building owning the common elements of the building and being responsible for its upkeep) but there isn’t a direct translation for Condominium or Condo in Tounsi.

Also widely known by Tunisian Arabic speakers are the words (sing.) Balas / بالاص (pl.) Balasat / بالاصات. These words usually refer to a building that is fully residential or blended with commercial intent. (But could be used to refer to a building that is fully commercial too) For example, in Tunisia, like other countries in the Mediterranean, you may see a floor in a building shared between residential and commercial purposes.

Balas is thought to be derived from the French word Palais, which means, in English, Palace. If this is the case, it has taken on an evolved meaning, but still has to do with architectural structures.

It has been noted by a contributor on the IBL project that although Balas is a well-understood word amongst Tunisian Arabic speakers, its use has become less common in recent years. (Tounsi speakers tend to use the words Résidence & Des résidences (covered above) and (sing.) 3imara / عمارة (pl.) 3imarat / عمارات (covered below) more often when referring to buildings.

(A note that a building that isn’t finished yet (under development or the development is stalled) is called (sing.) (f) Banya / بنية (pl.) Banyet / بنيات.

Nada A. speaks Appartement & Des appartements:

Nada A. speaks Résidence & Des résidences:

Nada A. speaks Balas & Balasat:

Larger detached houses

In countries like Tunisia, homes that have some space in a courtyard (whether small or large), and are walled, are called (sing.)

Villa / فيلا (pl.) Villet / فيلات. These aren’t necessarily mansions (more on mansions below) but the key is that they are detached homes that are clearly walled.

Nada A., speaks Villa & Villet:

Palaces & Mansions

In Tounsi, palaces often called (sing.) 9sar / قصر (pl.) 9sourat / قصورات and mansions are often called (sing.) Chateaux / شاتو (pl.) Des chateaux / داي شاتو. But these words can be interchangeable—Someone could call a palace a Chateaux and a mansion 9sar, or vice versa.

9sar is based on Fos7a (sing.) قصر  (pl.) قصور) and also has the meaning of a palace. In French, Chateaux means a large mansion or castle.

(As an aside, if you wish to read up on the basics of Tunisian Arabic (origins, its differences from Fos7a, etc.) here is the IBL article: What is Tunisian Arabic?)

Nada A., speaks 9sar & 9sourat:

Nada A., speaks Chateaux & Des chateaux:

Buildings

In Tunisian Arabic, any building can be called (sing.) 3imara / عمارة (pl.) 3imarat / عمارات. This word, 3imara, can be used to describe a building that has strictly commercial units, a building that is fully residential, or a building with blended use.

Remember, as noted above, a building that is at least predominantly of residential use is often called the following too: (sing.) Appartement / أبارتمون (pl.) and Des appartements /دايز ابارتمون .

Ancillary terminology

As ancillary information here is a rundown of features that exist in the periphery or as part of homes, along with their associated translations in Tunisian Arabic:

Street & Streets — (sing.) (m) Chera3 / شارع (pl.) Chwera3 / شوارع

IBL Contributor, Ismail G., pronounces Chera3 & Chwera3:

Road & Roads — (sing.) (m) Tri9 / طريق (pl.) Trou9at / طروقات

Ismail G. pronounces Tri9 & Trou9at:

Front door & Front doors — (sing.) (m) El beb el 9odemi / الباب القدامي (pl.) El biben el 9odemyin / البيبان القداميين

Front yard & Front yards — (sing.) (f) Jarda 9oddemiyya / جردة قدّاميّة (pl.) Jrod 9oddemiyyin / جرد قدّاميّين

Back yard & Back yards — (sing.) (m) Jarda tileniyya / جردة تيلانيّة (pl.) Jrod tileniyyin / جرد تيلانيّين

Neighbourhood & Neighbourhoods — (sing.) (m) 7ay / حي (pl.) A7ye2 / أحياء

In closing

Where we and others live is important. And by studying this material you will be able to use the right terminology to describe the type of dwelling that you are referring to. To assist in using the above nouns (Dar, Résidence, etc.) and constructing full statements, we recommend you read the IBL article, How nouns function in Tunisian Arabic. And remember that IBL has compiled a list related to this topic: Tunisian Arabic — Around the home. (Over 80 principal translations provided with recordings & over 300 statements translated)

As always, we wish you a marvellous journey!