syem صيام
Tunisian Derja · noun
“syem” (صيام) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning fasting.
Meanings
- fasting
- Ramadan fast
Usage
Syem means fasting, in particular that of Ramadan. It is often used with the article: "es-syem". It appears in expressions such as "syem ramdhan" and "syem tatawwu3" (voluntary fasting). The corresponding verb is "sem / ysoum" (to fast), and a person who fasts is called "sayem". The word is common and neutral, in everyday conversation as well as in religious register. For example, one says "es-syem s3ib el 3am" to say that fasting is hard this year. It is above all a religious practice, not a simple diet.
Example
الصيام في الصيف صعيب برشا
essyem fel sif s3ib barcha
“Fasting in summer is very hard.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “syem” but also “siyam”, “esyem”, “siam” and “syam”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “syem” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “fasting, especially during Ramadan”: siyam in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “fasting”; “the Ramadan fast”: siyam in Algerian.