temsa7 تمسح
Tunisian Derja · verb
“temsa7” (تمسح) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to wipe.
Meanings
- to wipe
- to erase
- to pin on someone
Usage
Temsa7 is the imperfect form of the verb msa7. It means "you wipe" or "she wipes". The verb is used for wiping a table, tears, the mouth ("msa7 fommek"), and for erasing a board, a file or a message. With fi, it takes a figurative sense: "msa7ha fih", he pinned it on him, he made him responsible. The imperative is "amsa7". It should be distinguished from "nadhdhaf", to clean thoroughly. Msa7 implies a quick movement of the hand or a cloth.
Example
إيجا تمسح الطاولة قبل ما ناكلو
ija temsa7 el tawla 9bal ma nekla
“Come wipe the table before we eat.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “temsa7” but also “tems7”, “tamsa7”, “tmsa7” and “temseh”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.