athar اثر
Algerian Darja · noun
“athar” (اثر) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning effect, impression left.
Meanings
- effect, impression left
- trace
Usage
Athar comes from Standard Arabic. In darja it is used mostly in a somewhat formal register, for example when talking about emotion or consequences. It is heard mostly in its verbal form, athar fi: "athar fiya bezzaf" means "it affected me a lot". As a noun, it is found in "khalla athar" (to leave a trace, to make a mark) and in the negation "ma kan hatta athar" (no trace at all). To say "effect" in the concrete sense, for example that of a medicine, the borrowing l'effet is also used. Depending on the region, the pronunciation varies between athar and atar.
Example
هاد الفيلم خلا فيا أثر كبير
had lfilm khalla fiya athar kbir
“This film left a deep mark on me.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “athar” but also “atar” and “ather”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “athar” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “effect, impact”; “trace, mark left behind”: atar in Moroccan.