7cham حشم
Algerian Darja · verb
“7cham” (حشم) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning to be ashamed, embarrassed.
Meanings
- to be ashamed, embarrassed
- to be shy, bashful
- shame on you! (reproach)
Usage
A very common verb, from the same family as 7chouma (shame). It is used when you feel embarrassed to do or say something: 7chamt ngoullou, "I was too embarrassed to tell him." It also describes shyness, especially in children: rah y7echem, "he is shy." In the imperative, 7cham! or 7cham chwiya! is a direct reproach, often half-serious between friends, meaning "aren't you ashamed?" The phrase ma t7achmch? has the same meaning. The person before whom one feels ashamed is introduced with men: 7chamt mennou. This word is not vulgar.
Example
حشمت نقولو بلي نسيت
7chamt ngoulou belli nsit
“I was embarrassed to tell him that I had forgotten.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7cham” but also “7chem”, “hcham”, “7echem” and “hchem”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.
Type “7cham” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to be ashamed”; “to feel shy, embarrassed”: 7cham in Tunisian.