hjem هجم
Moroccan Darija · verb
“hjem” (هجم) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to attack, pounce on.
Meanings
- to attack, pounce on
- to storm in, descend en masse
Usage
Hjem means to pounce on someone or to attack. It is almost always constructed with 3la: "hjem 3lih" (he attacked him). The present is kayhjem. It is used for an animal, a person, an army or a football team. In informal speech, it is also used to say that people show up in large numbers somewhere, for example guests arriving unannounced or customers rushing to a sale. For an English speaker, the pitfall is forgetting the preposition 3la: you do not say "hjem-ni" for "he attacked me", but "hjem 3liya".
Example
هجم عليا كلب
hjm 3lia klb
“A dog attacked me.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kan8jem | 8jemt | |
| nta (you, m.) | kat8jem | 8jemti | 8jem |
| nti (you, f.) | kat8jmi | 8jemti | 8jmi |
| howa (he) | kay8jem | 8jem | |
| hiya (she) | kat8jem | 8jmat | |
| 7na (we) | kan8jmo | 8jmna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | kat8jmo | 8jmto | 8jmo |
| homa (they) | kay8jmo | 8jmo |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hjem” but also “8jem”, “hjm” and “hjam”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 8 is light ha (ه) or ghayn (غ), depending on the writer.