5amem خامم
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“5amem” (خامم) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning thinking, pondering.
Meanings
- thinking, pondering
- worried, preoccupied
- intending, planning to
Usage
Khamem is the participle of the verb khammem (to think, reflect), very common in derja. It agrees: khamma in the feminine, khammin in the plural. It is mainly used as a present progressive: "rani khamem" means "I am thinking." The typical construction is khamem fi (to think about someone or something). Followed by a verb, it expresses intention: "khamem nemchi" means "I'm thinking of going." Alone, it can describe someone worried, looking absorbed. Pitfall for an English speaker: the word more often translates "I think / I intend" than an adjective like "pensive."
Example
علاش ساكت؟ في شنوّة خامم؟
3lech sakt? fi chnowa khamem?
“Why are you silent? What are you thinking about?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “5amem” but also “khamem”, “5amim”, “khamim” and “5ammem”. 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.