3emmer عمّر
Moroccan Darija · verb
“3emmer” (عمّر) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to fill.
Meanings
- to fill
- to prepare tea
- to fill in a form
Usage
3emmer, with a doubled m, means to fill: 3emmer lkas (fill the glass), 3emmer b lma (fill with water). The expression 3emmer atay means to prepare mint tea, in the sense of filling the teapot. You also say 3emmer lwer9a to fill in an administrative paper. Present: kay3emmer. Beware of homographs: without the doubling, 3mer means "never" before a negation (3mmri ma...), and 3omor means age (ch7al f 3omrek?, how old are you?). Context and pronunciation tell them apart.
Example
عمّر الكاس بالما
3emmer lkas b lma
“Fill the glass with water.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kan3mmr | 3mmrt | |
| nta (you, m.) | kat3mmr | 3mmrti | 3mmr |
| nti (you, f.) | kat3mmri | 3mmrti | 3mmri |
| howa (he) | kay3mmr | 3mmr | |
| hiya (she) | kat3mmr | 3mmrat | |
| 7na (we) | kan3mmro | 3mmrna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | kat3mmro | 3mmrto | 3mmro |
| homa (they) | kay3mmro | 3mmro |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3emmer” but also “3ammer”, “3mmer”, “3emmar”, “3mmr” and “3mr”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.
Type “3emmer” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to fill (a container, a space)”; “to fill in (a form, a paper)”: 3ammer in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “age”; “life, lifespan”: 3mor in Tunisian.