9assem قسم
Tunisian Derja · verb
“9assem” (قسم) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to share, divide.
Meanings
- to share, divide
- to distribute among several
- class, section (noun 9ism)
Usage
The verb 9assem (imperfect yi9assem) means to share or to divide. It is very common in cooking ("t9assem el 3jin", you divide the dough) and for an inheritance or a sum to be distributed: "9assmou el flous". Written without vowels, the same word can also be the noun 9ism, which means a class at school or a section of an administration or hospital. Context makes it possible to tell the verb from the noun.
Example
و تقسّمها 9 كعبورات قد قد تلفّهم مليح في نشا
w t9asamha 9 ka3bourat 9ad 9ad tlefhom mli7 fi ncha
“And you divide it into nine equal balls, which you coat well in starch.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9assem” but also “9asem”, “qassem” and “9sam”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “9assem” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to share, divide”; “five-minute unit (telling time)”: 9sem in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to share, divide, distribute”; “oath (qsem billah, I swear)”: qsem in Algerian.