zyyen زيّن
Moroccan Darija · verb
“zyyen” (زيّن) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to decorate, adorn.
Meanings
- to decorate, adorn
- to beautify, make beautiful
- to tidy up, trim (hair, beard)
Usage
The verb zyyen, "to decorate, beautify", comes from the same root as the adjective zin, "beautiful", and the noun zin, "beauty". They need to be kept apart in writing, because the spelling zin often blurs them together. You zyyen a house for a celebration, a table or a room. At the hairdresser's, zyyen li means "tidy up my cut", that is, even it out without cutting much. The reflexive form tzyyen means "to get dressed up, to get ready". Figuratively, zyyen lklam means "to embellish one's words". The conjugation is regular: zyyent, kanzyyen, zyyen!
Example
زيّنا الدار للعيد
zyyenna ddar l l3id
“We decorated the house for the Eid.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kanzyyen | zyyent | |
| nta (you, m.) | katzyyen | zyyenti | zyyen |
| nti (you, f.) | katzyyni | zyyenti | zyyni |
| howa (he) | kayzyyen | zyyen | |
| hiya (she) | katzyyen | zyynat | |
| 7na (we) | kanzyyno | zyynna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katzyyno | zyyento | zyyno |
| homa (they) | kayzyyno | zyyno |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “zyyen” but also “zayen”, “zeyyen”, “zyen”, “zayyen” and “zin”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “zyyen” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “beautiful, pretty”; “good, of good quality”: zin in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “beauty”; “beautiful (zin, zina)”: zin in Tunisian.