iqama اقامة
Algerian Darja · noun
“iqama” (اقامة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning stay, residence (status).
Meanings
- stay, residence (status)
- residence permit
- student residence, housing
Usage
Iqama is a Standard Arabic word, well known in Algeria, especially in administrative contexts. It refers to the fact of living somewhere, and in particular the right to reside abroad: karta d'iqama or karta iqama for the residence permit, a frequent topic among would-be emigrants. It is also used for student housing. In speech, many people say "la résidence" or "la cité" in French for university housing, and "les papiers" for the residence permit. The register remains rather formal.
Example
راني نستنى الكارطة تاع الإقامة.
rani nestena el karta ta3 el iqama.
“I'm waiting for my residence permit card.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “iqama” but also “i9ama” and “ikama”. 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 “iqama” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “residence, residential complex”; “stay, being resident somewhere”: i9ama in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “residence, official address”; “stay”: iqama in Tunisian.