ems امس
Tunisian Derja · adverb
“ems” (امس) is an adverb in Tunisian Derja meaning yesterday.
Meanings
- yesterday
Usage
Ems (or emes) is the usual word for "yesterday" in Tunisia, in all registers. It can be placed freely at the start or end of a sentence: ems mchit, mchit ems. Yesterday evening is ems fel lil; the day before yesterday is 9bal ems or 9ablems, pronounced almost as one word. It can also function as a noun, for example in 7al9a mta3 ems (yesterday's episode). The initial vowel varies in writing, hence the spellings ems, ames or emes. It should not be mistaken for the Standard Arabic word, although the form is almost identical.
Example
امس مشيت للبحر مع صحابي
ems mchit lel b7ar m3a s7abi
“Yesterday I went to the sea with my friends.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ems” but also “emes”, “ames”, “ams” and “amess”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.