Ways to say it
| Tunisian Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| شنية تعمل؟ | shniya ta3mel? | to a man |
| شنية تعملي؟ | shniya ta3mli? | to a woman |
This question is used exactly like its English equivalent, asking what someone is up to right now, whether on the phone or face to face.
What does it mean word for word?
شنية means 'what' in Tunisian Arabic, and تعمل means 'you do' or 'you make'.
Which one should you use?
The only change is the ending that agrees with the gender of the person being asked, تعمل to a man and تعملي to a woman. Some Tunisians also use the verb دير instead of عمل, giving شنوة تدير؟, with the same meaning.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
This question is informal and used between friends, family and people who already know each other.
Is it said differently in some regions?
شنية for 'what' is a distinctly Tunisian word, different from the Levantine شو and the Moroccan أش or شنو.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb ending changes for gender, the same pattern seen throughout Tunisian Arabic's present-tense verbs.
How do you pronounce it?
شنية is said quickly as one unit, with the stress on the first syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Using the Levantine شو instead of شنية is understood from media, but شنية sounds like natural local Tunisian speech.
Did you know?
- شنية is one of the words that marks Tunisian Arabic apart from both the Levantine شو and the Moroccan أش for the same meaning.
- Some Tunisians use the verb دير instead of عمل for 'to do', giving an alternative version of this same question, شنوة تدير؟.
Examples in context
- شنية تعمل توا؟shniya ta3mel touwa?What are you doing right now?
- شنية تعملي الليلة؟shniya ta3mli el-lila?What are you doing tonight?
- شنوة تدير هنا؟shnuwa tdir hna?What are you doing here?
Example conversation
Firas calls his friend Hamza on a Saturday afternoon.
- Firasعسلامة حمزة، شنية تعمل توا؟aslema Hamza, shniya ta3mel touwa?Hey Hamza, what are you doing right now?
- Hamzaحاجة ما فماش، نتفرج في التلفزة.hajja ma fammesh, netfarraj fi et-televzia.Nothing much, I'm watching television.
- Firasنخرجوا نشربوا قهوة؟nakhrju nashrabu gahwa?Shall we go out for a coffee?
- Hamzaيلا بينا، نوصلك في عشرين دقيقة.yalla bina, nwassalek fi 3ashrin dqiqa.Let's go, I'll be there in twenty minutes.
