9is قيس
Moroccan Darija · verb
“9is” (قيس) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to measure, take measurements.
Meanings
- to measure, take measurements
- to try on (clothes, shoes)
Usage
9is is the imperative of the verb meaning "to measure." It is used for a length, a size or a quantity: 9is ttoul, "measure the length." With clothes or shoes, it means "to try on"; the intensive form 9iyyes is often heard, for example 9iyyes had sserwal, "try on these trousers." Figuratively, it urges you to assess a situation carefully before acting, as in phrases like "measure before you jump in." Not to be confused with 9as, "to touch" or "to affect," which is conjugated differently. The register is common and informal.
Example
قيس الطول ديال الباب قبل ما تشري الريدو
9is ttoul dyal lbab 9bel ma techri rrido
“Measure the height of the door before you buy the curtain.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9is” but also “9iyes”, “qis”, “9yes” and “9iyyes”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “9is” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to measure, estimate, compare”; “to touch”: 9is in Algerian.