tesslem تسلم
Tunisian Derja · expression
“tesslem” (تسلم) is an expression in Tunisian Derja meaning thank you, may you be kept safe.
Meanings
- thank you, may you be kept safe
- to hand over, deliver (tsallem)
- to come out unharmed
Usage
Tesslem is used mainly as a warm expression of thanks, literally "may you be kept safe". It is often heard as tesslem idik ("may your hand be kept safe") to thank someone for a favour, a dish or a gift. The feminine is tesslmi, the plural tesslmou. The same Arabic spelling can also write the verb tsallem, "to hand over, deliver" (tsallem el colis, "you deliver the parcel"), or "you come out unscathed". Only context can decide, since Arabic script does not write the vowels. The register is everyday and polite, but not formal.
Example
تسلم يدّك، الماكلة بنينة برشا
tesslem idek, el mekla bnina barcha
“Thank you so much, the meal is delicious.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tesslem” but also “teslem”, “tasslem”, “tslem” and “teslam”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.