sme3 سمع
Moroccan Darija · verb
“sme3” (سمع) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to hear.
Meanings
- to hear
- to listen
- to obey, heed advice
Usage
Sme3 covers both "to hear" and "to listen", where English distinguishes the two. The imperative sme3 (feminine sme3i, plural sme3u) is used constantly to get attention: sme3 liya, "listen to me". With l-, it also means to obey someone: ma kaysme3ch l-mmu, "he doesn't listen to his mother". For music, one says kansme3 lmusiqa. The imperfect is kaysme3. The word sme3t, "I heard", often introduces a rumor: sme3t bli…, "I heard that…". The derived noun som3a means "reputation".
Example
سمع كلشي لي قلت
sm3 koulchi li gelt
“He heard everything I said.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kansme3 | sme3t | |
| nta (you, m.) | katsme3 | sme3ti | sme3 |
| nti (you, f.) | katsm3i | sme3ti | sem3i |
| howa (he) | kaysme3 | sme3 | |
| hiya (she) | katsme3 | sm3at | |
| 7na (we) | kansem3o | sm3na | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katsem3o | sm3to | sem3o |
| homa (they) | kaysem3o | sm3o |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sme3” but also “sm3”, “sma3”, “smaa” and “sm3a”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.
Type “sme3” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to hear”; “to listen”: sma3 in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to hear, to learn news”; “to listen”: sma3 in Tunisian.