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Learning Darijaالدارجة

Lesson 79 · B2

J7a and the braying donkey

“You'd believe the donkey over me?” J7a, the trickster of every North African tale, loses an argument to his own donkey and still tries to win it. Darija irony is less understated than English: questions that aren't questions, praise that's a telling-off.

  • Recognise a rhetorical question.
  • Exclaim with ashmen and sh7al.
  • Use yak and z3ma with intent.
  • Answer irony without taking it literally.
1

Twenty-four words

The first family is the irony toolkit. The rest, humour and the tale.

Irony toolkit

  • وَاشْ أَنَا…؟ wash ana…? am I…?

    A question that denies.

  • يَاكْ؟ yak? right?; didn't you…?

    Tag, often mocking.

  • أَشْمَنْ…! ashmen…! what a…!

    + noun.

  • شْحَالْ…! sh7al…! how…!

    + adjective.

  • بْرَاڤُو عْلِيكْ bravo 3lik well done

    Nearly always ironic.

  • مْلْيُونْ مَرَّة melyun merra a million times

Laughing and mocking

  • ضْحَكْ عْلَى de7k 3la to laugh at
  • تْفْلَّى عْلَى tfella 3la to make fun of
  • النّْكْتَة n-nekta joke
  • الضّْحْكْ d-de7k laughter
  • كَيْقْشّْبْ kayqesheb to joke; kid
  • بْالْمْعَقُولْ b l-m3aqul seriously

The tale

  • جْحَا J7a J7a

    North Africa's Nasreddin.

  • الْحْمَارْ l-7mar donkey
  • نْهَقْ nheq to bray
  • سْلَّفْ sellef to lend
  • الْجَّارْ j-jar neighbour
  • صْدّْقْ seddeq to believe (someone)

Clever and stupid

  • الْكْذُوبْ l-kdub liar
  • الْحِيلَة l-7ila trick; cunning
  • بْهِيمْ bhim dim; idiot

    Mild insult.

  • قَافْزْ qafez sharp; clever

Tags

  • زْعْمَا z3ma supposedly; yeah, right

    Marks disbelief.

  • آ سِيدِي a sidi my dear sir

    With an edge.

2

Saying the opposite

Four lines from the tale. None means what it says. What does each mean?

  1. كَتْصَدّْقْ الْحْمَارْ وْ مَا كَتْصَدّْقْنِيشْ أَنَا؟katseddeq l-7mar u ma-katseddeqnish ana?
  2. يَاكْ قُلْتِي الْحْمَارْ مَاشِي هْنَا؟yak qulti l-7mar mashi hna?
  3. أَشْمَنْ جَارْ عَنْدِي!ashmen jar 3ndi!
  4. بْرَاڤُو عْلِيكْ آ جْحَا، زْعْمَا الْحْمَارْ كَيْكْذَبْbravo 3lik a J7a, z3ma l-7mar kaykdeb

Does line 1 want an answer? Is bravo 3lik in line 4 praise? What does z3ma add?

The rule

Rhetorical question with wash: it asserts the opposite. wash ana 7mar? = “I'm not stupid”.

Exclamations: ashmen + noun (ashmen nhar!, “what a day!”), sh7al + adjective (sh7al zwin!). Sincere or ironic: context decides.

yak? asks for confirmation and, with an edge, catches someone out: yak qulti ghadi tji?, “didn't you say you'd come?”.

z3ma: “supposedly”, “yeah, right”. Signals disbelief.

Mock praise: bravo 3lik, tbarek llah 3lik after a disaster.

Exaggeration: melyun merra.

Irony in sentences

FormSay itMeans
وَاشْ أَنَا حْمَارْ؟wash ana 7mar?do you take me for an idiot?
يَاكْ قُلْتِي غَادِي تْجِي؟yak qulti ghadi tji?didn't you say you'd come?
أَشْمَنْ نْهَارْ!ashmen nhar!what a day!
شْحَالْ زْوِينْ هَادْ الطّْقْسْ!sh7al zwin had t-teqs!lovely weather! (in the rain)
بْرَاڤُو عْلِيكْ، كْسْرْتِيهَاbravo 3lik, ksertehawell done, you've broken it
قُلْتْهَا لِيكْ مْلْيُونْ مَرَّةqultha lik melyun merraI've told you a million times
زْعْمَا نْتَا اللِّي كَتْعْرَفْz3ma nta lli kat3refoh sure, you're the expert
شْكُونْ قَالْ لِيكْ أَنَا مَاشِي فَاهْمْ؟shkun qal lik ana mashi fahem?who told you I don't get it?

None of the eight is meant literally.

What English gives you, and what it costs

Free: “lovely weather” in a downpour, “well done” after a disaster: same tricks.

Free: “yeah, right” = z3ma.

Costly: understatement. English irony often whispers; Darija's is louder and more exclamatory. A deadpan English aside may not land.

Your mistake, not someone else's

In a new language you take everything literally. You don't answer “yes” to a rhetorical question.

×— وَاشْ أَنَا حْمَارْ؟ — إِيهْAnswering yes to a rhetorical question.

✓— وَاشْ أَنَا حْمَارْ؟ — لَا، سْمْحْ لِيَّا“No, sorry”.

When in doubt, a smile and hhh, 3ndek l-7eqq will get you out of most things.

3

J7a and the donkey

A traditional J7a tale, told across North Africa and the Middle East with Nasreddin or Djeha. Darija version for this lesson. Find every line that doesn't mean what it says.

وَاحْدْ النّْهَارْ جَا الْجَّارْ عَنْدْ جْحَا، وْ قَالْ لِيهْ: «عَافَاكْ آ جْحَا، سْلّْفْنِي الْحْمَارْ دْيَالْكْ، عَنْدِي شِي شْغُلْ فْالسُّوقْ».

جْحَا مَا كَانْشْ بَاغِي يْسْلّْفُو. قَالْ لِيهْ: «آهْ آ خُويَا، كُونْ غِيرْ جِيتِي الْبَارَحْ! الْحْمَارْ مَاشِي هْنَا، دَّاهْ وْلْدِي لْلْعْرُوبِيَّة».

فْدَاكْ السَّاعَة، الْحْمَارْ نْهَقْ فْالْكُورِي: «هَاااااااقْ!»

الْجَّارْ شَافْ فْجْحَا وْ قَالْ لِيهْ: «يَاكْ قُلْتِي الْحْمَارْ مَاشِي هْنَا؟ أَشْمَنْ كْذُوبْ!»

جْحَا تْقَلّْقْ، وْ قَالْ لِيهْ: «بْرَاڤُو عْلِيكْ! شْحَالْ هَادِي وْ حْنَا جِيرَانْ، وْ دَابَا كَتْصَدّْقْ الْحْمَارْ وْ مَا كَتْصَدّْقْنِيشْ أَنَا؟ وَاشْ الْحْمَارْ عَنْدُو اللّْحْيَة؟»

J7a and the braying donkey

Cuento tradicional de Yḥa (Djeha, Nasreddín), tradición oral del Magreb y de Oriente. Versión en darija de Learning Darija · dominio público

Did you follow?

  1. What does the neighbour ask?

    Show answers

    To borrow the donkey to go to market.

  2. What's J7a's excuse?

    Show answers

    The donkey isn't there: his son took it to the countryside.

  3. What gives him away?

    Show answers

    The donkey brays in the stable.

  4. How does J7a defend himself?

    Show answers

    He scolds the neighbour for believing the donkey over him.

4

Check

Two here, three more in the B2 book.

Exercises 1 and 2 are here, with answers. Exercises 3 to 5 are in the B2 book, the PDF this site lives on: you can see the first item of each below.

1Ironic?

Is the sentence ironic in that situation?

  1. شْحَالْ زْوِينْ هَادْ الطّْقْسْ! (كَتْصُبّْ الشْتَا) It's ironic.
  2. شْكْرًا بْزَّافْ عْلَى الْكَادُو It's ironic.
  3. بْرَاڤُو عْلِيكْ، كْسْرْتِي الْكَاسْ It's ironic.
  4. وَاشْ نْتَا بْخِيرْ؟ It's ironic.

2Fill the gap

With the irony piece that fits.

واشياكأشمنمليون

  1. ___ أنا بهيم؟ فاهم كلشي
  2. ___ قلتي غادي تجي بكري؟
  3. ___ زحام! ساعة فالطريق
  4. قلتها ليك ___ مرة

3Answer right

Choose the reply to: 1) “wash ana 7mar?”; 2) “yak qulti ghadi tji f l-weqt?”; 3) “ashmen teqs!”, in a downpour.

    1. لَا، حَاشَاكْ
    2. إِيهْ، نْتَا حْمَارْ
    3. مَا عْرْفْتْشْ

The rest is in the B2 book

2 more items, with the answers.

The B2 book

4Add an edge

Rewrite with the piece in brackets.

  1. مَا شِي أَنَا بْهِيمْ (وَاشْ)

The rest is in the B2 book

3 more items, with the answers.

The B2 book

5Your scene

Write a six-line dialogue where someone arrives late and the other replies ironically.

يَاكْوَاشْ…؟أَشْمَنْبْرَاڤُو عْلِيكْزْعْمَا

The rest is in the B2 book

The B2 book
Show answers
1. Ironic?1-True, 2-False, 3-True, 4-False
2. Fill the gapواش · ياك · أشمن · مليون

The B2 book: In preparation

Write and I will tell you the day it is out. One email, no list.

Tell me when it is out

I can now

  • Recognise a rhetorical wash question.
  • Exclaim with ashmen and sh7al.
  • Use yak and z3ma.
  • Not take irony literally.