There is a particular look a Tunisian shopkeeper gives a foreigner who says aychek — thank you, in the local way — instead of merci. A half-second of surprise, then a grin, then a price that’s suddenly a little more honest. Language does that here. It isn’t about fluency; it’s about the small, unmistakable signal that you bothered. Three words of Derja will get you further in Tunisia than three paragraphs of textbook Arabic, and this guide is the starter set — the phrases that actually open doors, organized by the moments you’ll need them.
A quick note before the words. What Tunisians speak is Derja — a Mediterranean braid of Arabic, French, Amazigh, Italian, and a few stubborn threads of Punic, unlike anything taught in a classroom. (If you’re curious how it got that way, we’ve written about the surprising roots of Tunisian Arabic separately.) You don’t need to read the Arabic script to use any of this; the transliterations below are written to be said out loud. The only sound worth flagging is the 3, which stands in for a throaty ʿayn — think of it as an “ah” made deeper in the throat. Approximate it and you’ll be understood.
The Essentials: What to Say in the First Five Minutes
Start here. These are the words you’ll use a dozen times a day, and the ones that earn the warmest reactions.
- Asslema — Hello (the Tunisian hello; universal, warm)
- Aychek / Y3aychek— Thank you (literally “may you live”; far more local than merci)
- Behi — Good / okay / alright (the all-purpose yes-to-life word)
- Ey — Yes · Le — No
- Min fadhlek — Please
- Samahni — Excuse me / sorry
- Labes? — You good? / Everything okay? (the standard greeting-check)
- Hamdoulah — Thank God / I’m well (the standard answer to labes)
- Beslema — Goodbye
- Mafhemtech — I don’t understand
- Tahki anglais? — Do you speak English?
Two words you’ll hear constantly and should recognize: barcha (a lot / very) and chwaya (a little). “Bnin barcha” — very delicious. “Chwaya chwaya” — slowly, little by little, a phrase that doubles as a Tunisian philosophy of life.
At the Café: The Most Important Vocabulary in the Country
Tunisia runs on coffee, and the café is where you’ll feel most like a local fastest. The ritual matters as much as the order.
- 9ahwa — Coffee · tay — Tea · ma — Water
- Kes tey — Mint tea (order it at least once; it’s a national handshake)
- Bel hlib — With milk · men ghir soker — Without sugar
- L’addition, y3aychek — The bill, please
- Bnin! — Delicious! (say it and mean it; it will be appreciated)
- Saha — To your health / enjoy (said to someone eating, drinking, or freshly out of the barber — see also the hammam, where you’ll hear it on the way out)
If someone hands you a coffee and says bsahtek, the correct reply is “Allah ybarek fik” — God bless you. You’ll feel ridiculous the first time and natural by the third.
In the Taxi: The Phrases That Save You Money
Taxis are where a little Derja pays for itself, literally. Lead with the magic word.
- El Compteur, aychek — The meter, please (insist on it gently and you’ll rarely be overcharged)
- Kaddech? — How much? (the single most useful word in this guide)
- Nheb nemchi-… — I want to go to…
- Houni — Here · Yezzi houni — Stop here
- 3al-imin — To the right · 3al-issar — To the left · Toul — Straight ahead
- Ghali barcha — That’s very expensive (say it with a smile, not a scowl)
For everything else about getting from A to B — louages, trains, the unwritten rules of the road — our notes on Tunisian driving habits and the broader Tunis city guide will fill in the map.
In the Souk: How to Haggle Like You Belong
Bargaining isn’t conflict here; it’s a conversation with rules, and a few phrases turn you from mark to participant. Start at roughly half, smile throughout, and be ready to walk — the walk is part of the dance.
- Kaddech? — How much?
- Ghali — Expensive · Naqqasli chwaya — Lower it a little for me
- Akher soul? — Your final price? (literally “last price”)
- Nkhamem — Let me think about it (the polite exit that often produces a better offer)
- Behi, nakhdhou — Okay, I’ll take it
- Yezzi — Enough / that’s plenty (firm, useful, and the same word that gently ends any unwanted attention on the street)
You’ll meet your best haggling in the old quarters — the medina of Tunis above all, where the rhythm of the bargain is half the reason to go.
At the Table: Where Tunisia Truly Opens Up
If you’re lucky, a Tunisian will feed you, because hospitality here is closer to a competitive sport than a courtesy. These are the phrases for that table — and for the seven-day weddings where strangers become family by the second night.
- Bnin barcha, aychek — This is delicious, thank you
- Chba3t — I’m full (you will need this; refusal of more food requires effort)
- Mashallah — An all-purpose expression of admiration and warding-off of the evil eye, said over a beautiful meal, a baby, a view
- Nchalah — God willing (also: “maybe,” “we’ll see,” and occasionally “no, but politely”)
- Yaatik el-saha — May God give you health (the perfect thank-you to a host who cooked, a guide who walked you around, anyone who did the work)
When You Need Help
Rarely necessary, but worth carrying.
- 3awenni, aychek — Help me, please
- Win el-…? — Where is the…? · Win bit el-ma? — Where’s the bathroom?
- Sbitar — Hospital · Polis — Police
- Tnajjam t3awenni? — Can you help me?
- Bechoiya — Slowly / easy
Tunisians will, as a rule, go out of their way for a visitor in difficulty — for the wider picture on staying comfortable and secure, see whether Tunisia is safe to visit.
The Words With No English
Some Derja doesn’t translate so much as reveal how the country thinks. Nchalah, hamdoulah, and machalah punctuate ordinary speech the way breathing punctuates a sentence — gratitude, hope, and protection woven into the grammar of the day. Yezzi is exasperation and tenderness at once. Aychek wishes you long life every time you’re handed a receipt. Learn these not to sound fluent but to hear, a little, what it feels like to live here. And if the dialect gets its hooks into you — it does that — Tunisia happens to be one of the loveliest places anywhere to actually sit down and learn Arabic.
From the Carthage Magazine Bookshelf
Reading these phrases is one thing; saying them so a Tunisian understands you is another — and that’s the part a page can’t teach. Speak Like a Local was built for exactly that gap:
- Speak Like a Local — 200+ Tunisian Arabic phrases with native audio recorded in Tunis, organized across 13 chapters for the taxi, the souk, the café, and the dinner table. The hard part of Derja is the sound, and this is the only way to get it in your ear before you land. $14.99 · PDF, EPUB, MP3
- All About Tunisia — the definitive English-language traveler’s guide. 572 pages, 27 chapters, all nine regions, every UNESCO inscription, and the practical answers (visa, currency, transport, etiquette) most travelers wish they’d had on the plane. $24.99 · PDF & EPUB
- The Authentic Tunisian Cookbook — sixty traditional recipes from the heart of North Africa, for when you’re home and the food is what you miss. $9.99 · PDF & EPUB
All three available as a bundle for $39.99 — language, guide, and food, delivered together.
