khesses خصّص
Moroccan Darija · verb
“khesses” (خصّص) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to set aside for.
Meanings
- to set aside for
- to earmark, dedicate to
Usage
Khesses means to set aside or devote something (time, money, a place) to a specific use. The typical construction is "khesses X l- Y": "khesses lih chi waqt", devote some time to him. The word belongs to a fairly formal register, close to standard Arabic. You hear it in administration, the media, at work and in associations. In casual conversation, simpler expressions are often preferred, such as "khella" (leave) or "3zel" (set aside). The passive participle, mkhesses, means "reserved, dedicated" and often appears on signs or in announcements.
Example
خصّص شي وقت لولادك
khesses chi waqt l-wladek
“Devote some time to your children.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kankhSSeS | khSSeSt | |
| nta (you, m.) | katkhSSeS | khSSeSti | khSSeS |
| nti (you, f.) | katkhSSeSi | khSSeSti | khSSeSi |
| howa (he) | kaykhSSeS | khSSeS | |
| hiya (she) | katkhSSeS | khSSeSat | |
| 7na (we) | kankhSSeSo | khSSeSna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katkhSSeSo | khSSeSto | khSSeSo |
| homa (they) | kaykhSSeSo | khSSeSo |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khesses” but also “khasses”, “khsses” and “5esses”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.