dhalem ظالم
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“dhalem” (ظالم) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning unjust, oppressive.
Meanings
- unjust, oppressive
- oppressor, tyrant
Usage
Dhalem describes a person who commits an injustice or abuses their power. It is also used as a noun: "an oppressor". The proverb ya dhalem lik nhar ("O unjust one, your day will come") is very well known: it expresses the conviction that injustice always ends up being punished. One also says enti dhalma (feminine) to someone whose judgment seems unfair, sometimes in a light tone between close people. The corresponding noun is dholm ("injustice"). The ظ is often pronounced like an emphatic d or like dh.
Example
الشاف متاعنا ظالم، يخدّمنا برشة ويخلّصنا قليل.
echef mte3na dhalem, ykhaddemna barcha w ykhallesna 9lil.
“Our boss is unfair: he makes us work a lot and pays us little.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dhalem” but also “dalem”, “zalem” and “dhalim”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.