koum كوم
Tunisian Derja · noun
“koum” (كوم) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning heap, pile.
Meanings
- heap, pile
- a separate matter, another thing
Usage
Literally, koum means a heap: koum trab, "a heap of earth", koum 7wayej, "a pile of things". The word is most alive in a comparison construction: hedha koum w hedha koum, "this is one thing, and that is another". You also find kollou koum w X koum, "everything else is fine, but X is another matter". This construction is used to highlight what goes beyond the rest. Note: in arabizi, "kom" or "koum" can also transcribe the French "comme", as in "kom kwa".
Example
حط الحوايج الكل في كوم واحد.
7ott el 7wayej el kol fi koum wa7ed.
“Put all the things in one pile.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “koum” but also “kom”, “kowm”, “koom” and “kum”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.