tsme3 تسمع
Moroccan Darija · verb
“tsme3” (تسمع) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to be heard, make oneself heard.
Meanings
- to be heard, make oneself heard
- you hear, you listen
Usage
Tsme3 is first the passive form of sme3, "to hear". It means "to be heard", "to make oneself heard": tsme3 sda3, "a noise was heard", ma kaytsme3 walo, "nothing can be heard". But the same spelling very often corresponds to the second person of sme3: t-sme3, "you hear" or "you listen", as in aji tsme3, "come and listen". Context decides: with a "you" subject, or after bla ma, khassek, bghiti, it is the conjugated form. To say "listen to someone", use sme3 l-, with the preposition l-.
Example
تسمع صداع كبير فالزنقة
tsme3 sda3 kbir f zzenqa
“A loud noise was heard in the street.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kantsme3 | tsme3t | |
| nta (you, m.) | kattsme3 | tsme3ti | tsme3 |
| nti (you, f.) | kattsm3i | tsme3ti | tsm3i |
| howa (he) | kaytsme3 | tsme3 | |
| hiya (she) | kattsme3 | tsm3at | |
| 7na (we) | kantsm3o | tsm3na | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | kattsm3o | tsme3to | tsm3o |
| homa (they) | kaytsm3o | tsm3o |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tsme3” but also “tsm3”, “tsma3” and “tesme3”. 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 “tsme3” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “you hear, she hears”; “to listen”: tesma3 in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “you hear; she hears”; “you listen; she listens”: tesma3 in Tunisian.