How to say hello in Tunisian Arabic (derja)

In Tunisian Arabic, several expressions are used to greet someone. Some translate as “Good morning”, others as “Hi” or “Hello”. Knowing their variants helps you understand and respond whatever greeting your interlocutor uses.

This page presents phrases recorded by our native teachers, their different spellings, and complete sentences you can start using right away.

“Good morning” in Tunisian: Sba7 el kher and its variants

The expression Sba7 el kher translates as “Good morning.” It appears in our recordings alone or at the start of a sentence, in both personal and professional contexts. Written Tunisian Arabic in Latin script has no fixed spelling, so you will come across several forms for this same word:

Sba7 el kher
Sbe7 el khir
Sba7 el khir
Sbah el-kheir

All four forms mean “Good morning.” You may see any of them in the wild.

Saying “Hi”: Aslema and its variants

Aslema is another very common greeting in our recordings. It translates as “Hi” or “Hello” depending on context. Here too, spelling varies:

Aslema
3aslema
Asslema
3slema

These are all the same word. Our recordings also feature Ahla, which likewise translates as “Hi.”

Greeting someone and asking how they are

In our recordings, a greeting is sometimes followed by a question. Here are phrases recorded by our teachers:

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

Sba7 el kher, chnaw a7welek? - Good morning, how are you?
3aslema! Chnowa a7welek? - Hi! How are you?
Aslema 5ouya! Chnaw 7walek? - Hi bro! How's it going?
Asslema sahbi! chnaw ahwelek, labès ? - Hi my friend! How are you?
Ahla, chnaw 7wel l3ayla? - Hi, how is the family?

Ready-to-use examples

Here are more recorded phrases that show these greetings in everyday situations:

Sba7 el kher, Youssef! - Good morning, Youssef!
Sbe7 el khir, 3andi 7jez b esm Trabelsi. - Good morning, I have a reservation under the name Trabelsi.
Sba7 el khir. El réunion bech tbeda tawwa. - Good morning. The meeting is about to start.
Aslema doctour. Ana ta3ben barcha. - Hello doctor. I am very tired.
Aslema Rania! Chnaw 7walik? - Hi Rania! How's it going?

Mini-dialogue

Here is an exchange made up of phrases recorded by our teachers. The two lines follow on naturally:

Person A: Sba7 el kher, Youssef! (Good morning, Youssef!)
Person B: Sba7 el kher, chnaw a7welek? (Good morning, how are you?)

Person B echoes the greeting and adds a question.

Usage tips

A few observations drawn directly from our recordings:

To personalise your greeting, add “my friend” or “bro” after the greeting word: Asslema sahbi! (Hi my friend!) or Aslema 5ouya! (Hi bro!).
You can introduce yourself right after the greeting: 3slema! Ena Hichem. W enti? (Hi! I'm Hichem. And you?).
To mention that you are learning Tunisian, our recordings offer: Aslema. Netaallem fel derja tounsiya. (Hi. I'm learning Tunisian derja.).

Frequently asked questions

How do you respond to Sba7 el kher?

To reply, our recordings echo the greeting and add a question: Sba7 el kher, chnaw a7welek? (Good morning, how are you?).

What is the difference between Aslema and Sba7 el kher?

In our recordings, Sba7 el kher and its variants always translate as “Good morning.” Aslema and its variants translate as “Hi” or “Hello” depending on context. Both are used to greet someone.

Can you greet someone and introduce yourself at the same time?

Yes. Our recordings include: 3slema! Ena Hichem. W enti? (Hi! I'm Hichem. And you?) and 3slema! Ena Claire, min Fransa. W enti, mnin? (Hi! I'm Claire, from France. And you, where from?). The greeting and the introduction happen in one go.

Does the spelling of these words vary?

Yes. For “Good morning” you will see Sba7 el kher, Sbe7 el khir, Sba7 el khir and Sbah el-kheir. For “Hi” you will see Aslema, 3aslema, Asslema and 3slema. These are the same words, simply written differently by different people.