9is قيس
Algerian Darja · verb
“9is” (قيس) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning to measure, estimate, compare.
Meanings
- to measure, estimate, compare
- to touch
- to try on (clothes)
Usage
Qis is the imperative of the verb qas (imperfect yqis). It is used to measure a length or a quantity, but also figuratively to estimate or compare: "qis wahdek" invites the listener to judge for themselves. In everyday use, qas also means to touch: "ma tqisch !" means "don't touch!". In a shop, it is used for trying on a garment or shoes before buying. The meaning depends on context: with something to wear, it is to try on; with something fragile or forbidden, it is to touch. Be careful not to confuse it with the name Qays, which is written the same way in Arabic.
Example
قيس الطول تاع الباب قبل ما تشري الريدو.
qis ttoul ta3 lbab qbel ma techri ridou.
“Measure the height of the door before buying the curtain.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9is” but also “qis”, “kis” and “gis”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “9is” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to measure, take measurements”; “to try on (clothes, shoes)”: 9is in Moroccan.