7ser حصر
Moroccan Darija · verb
“7ser” (حصر) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to corner, trap.
Meanings
- to corner, trap
- to restrict, limit
Usage
7Ser mainly means to corner someone, to trap them physically or put them in a situation with no way out: 7Serni f lqent, "he cornered me in the corner". The passive form t7Ser, "to be cornered, to be in a bind", is very common. The participle m7Sour is also used informally for someone who urgently needs to go to the toilet. The sense of "to restrict, limit" belongs more to Standard Arabic and is heard mostly in administrative or journalistic registers. The present tense is conjugated ki7Ser.
Example
حصرني ف القنت وما خلانيش نخرج
7Serni f lqent w ma khallanich nkhrej
“He cornered me in the corner and wouldn't let me leave.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kan7Ser | 7Sert | |
| nta (you, m.) | kat7Ser | 7Serti | 7Ser |
| nti (you, f.) | kat7Sri | 7Serti | 7Sri |
| howa (he) | kay7Ser | 7Ser | |
| hiya (she) | kat7Ser | 7Srat | |
| 7na (we) | kan7Sro | 7Srna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | kat7Sro | 7Srto | 7Sro |
| homa (they) | kay7Sro | 7Sro |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7ser” but also “7aser”, “hser” and “7sser”. 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.
Type “7ser” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to corner, to trap someone”; “to restrict, to limit”: 7sar in Tunisian.