dam دام
Tunisian Derja · verb
“dam” (دام) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to last, to go on.
Meanings
- to last, to go on
- to remain, to persist (situation, state)
Usage
Dam means "to last". It is used mainly for the duration of an event or a situation. In the past, one says dam ("it lasted"). In the imperfect, one says ydoum, very frequent in the negative: ma ydoumech, "it doesn't last". The conjunction madem ("since, as long as") comes from it and is in common use. It is also found in wish formulas, in a more formal or religious register. Pitfalls: do not confuse it with dam "blood", which is pronounced the same way. In Arabic script, the same spelling is sometimes also used to transcribe the French "dame".
Example
العرس دام جمعة كاملة
el 3ors dam jem3a kemla
“The wedding lasted a whole week.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dam” but also “dem” and “deem”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.