ahem اهم
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“ahem” (اهم) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning most important, main.
Meanings
- most important, main
- more important (than)
Usage
Ahamm is the comparative and superlative form linked to "important". It is placed mostly before an indefinite noun: "ahamm 7aja" (the most important thing, the essential), "min ahamm…" (among the most…). With min, it also serves as a comparative: "e-sa77a ahamm mil flous" (health matters more than money). The form stays the same in the masculine, feminine and plural. It is heard daily, often at the start of a sentence to refocus the conversation. Pitfall in writing: in arabizi or without vowels, the same string of letters can also be a fragment of another word split in two, for example "wassahom" (he recommended to them) written in two parts.
Example
أهمّ حاجة الصحّة، الباقي يتصلّح.
ahamm 7aja e-sa77a, el bekki yetsalla7.
“The most important thing is health; the rest gets sorted out.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ahem” but also “aham” and “ahamm”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.