siyam صيام
Algerian Darja · noun
“siyam” (صيام) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning fasting.
Meanings
- fasting
- the Ramadan fast
Usage
Syam means fasting, in particular that of Ramadan. It appears in the greetings exchanged during that month: saha ftourkoum (enjoy your meal at the breaking of the fast), taqabbal Allah minna wa minkoum syam w qyam (may God accept our fasting and our prayers). The corresponding verb is sam, ysoum ("to fast"): rani sayem, I am fasting. The word is also used for voluntary fasts. Common register, with no particular connotation. For an English speaker, note that "to observe Ramadan" is often simply said ysoum.
Example
الصيام هاد العام جا في الصيف، صعيب شوية.
es-syam had el 3am ja fi sif, s3ib chwiya.
“This year the fast falls in summer, it's a bit hard.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “siyam” but also “syam”, “sayam”, “siam” and “siyem”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “siyam” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “fasting, especially during Ramadan”: siyam in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “fasting”; “Ramadan fast”: syem in Tunisian.