yemma يما
Algerian Darja · noun
“yemma” (يما) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning mom, my mother.
Meanings
- mom, my mother
- exclamation of surprise or distress
Usage
Yemma is the affectionate, common word for "mom", used to call one's mother or to talk about her. The word already contains the idea of "my": you don't say "ma yemma". With possessives, you say yemmak (your mother) and yemmou (his mother). In ya yemma!, it becomes an exclamation of surprise, fear or laughter, like "oh my!". Careful: yemmak, said in an aggressive tone, can start an insult. Yemma is also the title of a well-known Algerian TV series.
Example
يمّا، واش طيّبتي اليوم؟
yemma, wach tiyebti lyoum?
“Mom, what did you cook today?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “yemma” but also “yema” and “yamma”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “yemma” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “mom, mother”; “a yemma: exclamation of surprise or fright”: yemma in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “mom (when addressing her)”; “exclamation of surprise or pain”: yamma in Tunisian.