tamen تامن
Algerian Darja · verb
“tamen” (تامن) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning to believe, accept as true.
Meanings
- to believe, accept as true
- to trust
Usage
Tamen is the conjugated form ("you believe" or "she believes") of the verb amen, very common in darja in the sense of "to believe". It is constructed with b: tamen bih ("you believe in it, you trust him"), or with belli followed by a clause: ma tamench belli… ("she doesn't believe that…"). In the negative, ma namench bik means "I don't trust you". The religious sense ("to have faith") exists, but everyday usage is mostly "to believe something" or "to rely on someone". The hamza generally disappears in speech.
Example
علاش ما تامنش بلي راهو صح؟
3lach ma tamench belli rah s7i7?
“Why don't you believe it's true?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tamen” but also “ta2men”, “tamn” and “taamen”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 2 is hamza (ء), a glottal stop.