9oddem قدام
Tunisian Derja · preposition
“9oddem” (قدام) is a preposition in Tunisian Derja meaning in front of, facing.
Meanings
- in front of, facing
- ahead, in the future
- forward
Usage
9oddem means "in front of" in space: 9oddem eddar (in front of the house), 9oddem ennes (in front of people, in public). Used alone, it is an adverb: emchi l9oddem (go forward). It also has a time sense: 9oddem and mel 9oddem refer to the future. The expression 9oddem rabbi (before God) is used to call God as witness. Its opposite is lteli (behind). It combines with pronouns: 9oddemi (in front of me), 9oddemek (in front of you). In writing, the q is often spelled 9 or k.
Example
اقفوا قدّام المرايا و لمّوا رواحكم انتوما ,
e9fou 9ouddem limreye ou loumou rwe7kom intouma ,
“Stand in front of the mirror and pull yourselves together, you lot.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9oddem” but also “9odem”, “koddem”, “kodem”, “9ouddem” and “9odam”. 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 “9oddem” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “in front of, facing”; “ahead, forward”: 9dam in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “in front of (in space)”; “in the presence of, before someone”: goddam in Algerian.