ya7me9 يحمق
Algerian Darja · verb
“ya7me9” (يحمق) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning to be crazy about, to adore (with 3la).
Meanings
- to be crazy about, to adore (with 3la)
- to lose one's cool, to fly off the handle
Usage
The verb ya7me9 (past 7me9) is almost always built with the preposition 3la to say that you adore something or someone: n7me9 3la, "I'm crazy about". It is used for a dish, a music, a person, and stays colloquial and affectionate. Without a complement, it can mean to lose one's composure or to speak heatedly. The noun 7mi9 refers to this passion or excessive excitement. Do not confuse it with "going mad" in the medical sense: the usual meaning is enthusiastic.
Example
نحمق على الكسكسي تاع يما
n7me9 3la el kousksi ta3 yemma
“I'm crazy about my mom's couscous.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ya7me9” but also “ya7mag”. 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; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.