3ayer عاير
Algerian Darja · verb
“3ayer” (عاير) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning to mock someone.
Meanings
- to mock someone
- to reproach humiliatingly
Usage
The verb 3ayer (present y3ayer) means to mock someone by reminding them of a flaw, a failure or a humiliating situation. It implies a hurtful intent, stronger than simple teasing. It takes the targeted person directly as object: 3ayrouh, "they taunted him". You give the cause with b: y3ayrouh b fa9rou, "they taunt him about his poverty". The most frequent use is negative: ma t3ayrnich, "don't throw humiliating reproaches at me". The corresponding noun is t3ayer or t3ayir. The word is informal and common in speech.
Example
ما تعايرش خوك بالنقاط تاعو
ma t3ayerch khouk b nnoqat ta3ou
“Don't mock your brother over his grades.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3ayer” but also “aayar”, “3ayar”, “y3ayer” and “3ayr”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.