Everyday Numbers and Prices in Tunisian Arabic

To buy something, you need to ask the price and understand the answer. This page shows you how to do both in Tunisian Arabic.

You will find the numbers used in the phrases recorded by our teachers: one, two, three, five, ten, and also “a dinar and a half”. You will also see the different spellings of “how much”.

You will leave with complete phrases to copy, each with its translation, and a short exchange about a purchase.

Asking the price: “how much?”

Click the button after a phrase to hear it spoken by a teacher.

To talk about prices, start with the question. B9adech? means “How much?”. With B 9adech?, the translation becomes “How much does it cost?”.

You can add what you want to buy:

B9addech el kilo?: How much for the kilo?
B 9adech el gatou?: How much is the cake?
B9adech el zarbia?: How much is the carpet?

Different spellings of “how much”

Our recordings write this word in several ways: B9adech?, B 9adech? and B9addech?. So you will see 9adech or 9addech, with one or two “d”.

To ask for the bill, two phrases are recorded: 9adech la 7ssab? and 9addech el 7sseb?. Both mean “How much is the bill?”. The word for “bill” is written 7ssab or 7sseb.

Numbers to remember

Here are the numbers our teachers recorded, with the meaning given by the translation:

wa7ed lablabi: one lablabi
Wahda wala zouz?: One or two?
Zouz gatouwet: two cakes
Baki zouz blayess: two places are left
Thalatha dinar: three dinars
Khamsa dinar: five dinars
3achra dinar: ten dinars
3achra da9aye9: ten minutes
Dinar w noss: a dinar and a half

Five is written in two ways: Khamsa dinar and 5amsa dinar. Both mean “five dinars”.

Understanding the answer

When someone tells you a price, listen for the number and the word for “dinar”. Here are the recorded answers:

3achra dinar.: Ten dinars.
Tfadhal. Khamsa dinar.: Here you are. Five dinars.
7ather! 5amsa dinar el kol.: Right away! Five dinars in total.

Phrases ready to copy

B9addech el kilo?: How much for the kilo?
A3tini kilou Tamatem.: Give me a kilo of tomatoes.
Wahda wala zouz?: One or two?
Zouz, w wa7ed lablabi.: Two, and one lablabi.
3achra dinar.: Ten dinars.
Dinar w noss. Sahha w hana.: A dinar and a half. Health and happiness.

Mini-dialogue

This exchange is made of phrases recorded by our teachers.

Zouz gatouwet, b9adech?: Two cakes, how much?
7ather! 5amsa dinar el kol.: Right away! Five dinars in total.
Ghali barsha! Thalatha dinar?: That's very expensive! Three dinars?

Tips for practice

Learn each number with its word: 3achra dinar, Khamsa dinar, Thalatha dinar.
Remember the half with Dinar w noss: “a dinar and a half”.
Don't be surprised by the different spellings: B9adech? and B9addech? are two ways of writing “How much?”.
When you buy by weight, keep B9addech el kilo? ready.
Say the phrases of the mini-dialogue out loud, first with the translation, then without it.

Frequently asked questions

How do you ask “how much does it cost” in Tunisian Arabic?

You can say B 9adech?, translated as “How much does it cost?”. For a specific item, add its name, as in B 9adech el gatou?, “How much is the cake?”.