siyam صيام
Moroccan Darija · noun
“siyam” (صيام) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning fasting, especially during Ramadan.
Meanings
- fasting, especially during Ramadan
Usage
Siyam refers to fasting, in particular the religious fast of Ramadan, but also voluntary fasting days or make-up days. You hear it in phrases like "siyam d ramdan" or "3ndi siyam" (I have fasting days to make up). For the act of fasting, darija mostly uses the verb "sam, isum" (to fast): "ana sayem" (I am fasting). The noun siyam belongs to a slightly more formal or religious register than the verb. A person who is not fasting is called "fater". The word "ramdan" itself is often used to evoke the whole period of fasting.
Example
الصيام صعيب فالصيف حيت النهار طويل.
siyam s3ib fsif 7it nhar twil.
“Fasting is hard in summer because the day is long.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “siyam” but also “siam”, “syam” and “siyame”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “siyam” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “fasting”; “the Ramadan fast”: siyam in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “fasting”; “Ramadan fast”: syem in Tunisian.