bessif بالسيف
Moroccan Darija · adverb
“bessif” (بالسيف) is an adverb in Moroccan Darija meaning by force, under compulsion.
Meanings
- by force, under compulsion
- necessarily, no choice
Usage
Bessif literally means "by the sword". The word refers to what is done under compulsion or against one's will. The construction "bessif 3lik" means "you have no choice, you have to": "bessif 3lih ykhdem". Used on its own, it can also mean "necessarily, it's unavoidable". The register is informal and everyday. The tone is often insistent, even irritated, when speaking of an obligation one has to put up with. The warlike image is no longer felt at all: it is the ordinary equivalent of "forced to" or "by force".
Example
داها معاه بالسيف
daha m3ah bessif
“He took her with him by force.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bessif” but also “bssif”, “besif”, “bsif” and “bsseif”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “bessif” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “by force, necessarily”; “against one's will”: bessif in Algerian.