tkoun تكون
Tunisian Derja · verb
“tkoun” (تكون) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning that you be, that she be.
Meanings
- that you be, that she be
- you will be, she will be
Usage
Tkoun is the imperfect form of the verb kén (to be) in the second person masculine singular and the third person feminine singular. It is used mainly after verbs of wishing or necessity, after inchallah, lezem or bech, or to talk about the future: "inchallah tkoun labes". The form "tkoun 3andek" is translated by "to have" ("that you have"). Only context distinguishes "you" from "she". Pitfall: the English meaning "consist" does not match common Tunisian usage. The first person is nkoun, the third person masculine is ykoun.
Example
إن شاء الله تكون لاباس عليك
inchallah tkoun labes 3lik
“God willing, you'll be fine.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tkoun” but also “tkon”, “tkun”, “tkoon” and “etkoun”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “tkoun” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to take a course, be trained”; “to consist of, be made up of”: tkowwen in Moroccan.