7cham حشم
Tunisian Derja · verb
“7cham” (حشم) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to be ashamed.
Meanings
- to be ashamed
- to feel shy, embarrassed
Usage
7cham (imperfect ye7chem) is very common. It means to be ashamed, but also to feel intimidated or embarrassed out of politeness. It takes "men" for the person or thing that intimidates ("7chamt mennou"). It takes "bech" followed by a verb for what one doesn't dare to do. The negative form "ma te7chemch ?" ("aren't you ashamed?") is used as a reproach, often in a teasing tone. "7cham 3la rou7ou" means that he felt embarrassed and held back. The corresponding noun is 7chouma, "shame." It is an important social value.
Example
حشمت باش نقلّو
7chamt bech n9ollou
“I was embarrassed to tell him.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7cham” but also “7chem”, “hcham” and “7chamt”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.
Type “7cham” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to be ashamed, embarrassed”; “to be shy, bashful”: 7cham in Algerian.