9der قدر
Algerian Darja · verb
“9der” (قدر) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning can, be able to.
Meanings
- can, be able to
- manage, overpower
Usage
Qder (imperfective yeqder, neqder) is the usual verb for "can" in Algerian Arabic. It is constructed directly with an imperfective verb, without a particle: neqder nji (I can come). In the negative, the verb is framed by ma… ch: ma neqderch (I can't). With the preposition 3la, qder 3lih means to overcome or master someone or something. Be careful not to confuse it with the noun qadr (destiny) or with qadder (to estimate, respect), which are written the same way in Arabic. The expression qadr el-moustata3 (as much as possible) comes from Standard Arabic but is also used in darja.
Example
ما نقدرش نجي غدوة، عندي خدمة
ma neqderch nji ghodwa, 3andi khedma
“I can't come tomorrow, I have work.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9der” but also “qder”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “9der” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to be able to, can”; “to estimate, assess (9edder)”: 9der in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “can, to be able to”; “worth, esteem (noun)”: 9der in Tunisian.