dayem دايم

Tunisian Derja · adjective

“dayem” (دايم) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning eternal, everlasting.

Meanings

1. eternal, everlasting
2. permanent, lasting

Usage

Dayem is heard mostly in religious phrases and in wishes. Ed-dayem rabbi or dayem wjeh rabbi, "only God is eternal", is said when offering condolences. It is also heard, with resignation, when something comes to an end. In wishes, ydoum, from the same root, is used to wish that happiness will last. Do not confuse dayem with the adverb dima (or dayma), "always", which is much more common in conversation. For "permanent" in an administrative sense, other words are used instead.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dayem” but also “dayim”, “daiem” and “daim”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “dayem” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “permanent, eternal”; “lasting, long-lived”: daym in Moroccan.