hayem هايم
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“hayem” (هايم) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning dreamy, lost in thought.
Meanings
- dreamy, lost in thought
- besotted, smitten
- wandering, aimless
Usage
Hayem describes a person who is not quite present: their mind is elsewhere, carried away by an emotion, a piece of music or a love. It is often heard in phrases like "t5allik hayem" (it leaves you dreamy, it carries you away), about a song or a landscape, or "hayem fiha" (crazy about her). It can also describe someone wandering aimlessly: "dayer hayem fi chwére3". The word has a slightly poetic colouring, found in songs, but it remains common in speech. The feminine is hayma and the plural haymin.
Example
الموسيقى هاذي تخلّيك هايم
el mousi9a hedhi t5allik hayem
“This music leaves you dreamy.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hayem” but also “hayim” and “haiem”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.