ferfer فرفر

Algerian Darja · verb

“ferfer” (فرفر) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning to flap wings, flutter.

Meanings

1. to flap wings, flutter
2. to gush, bubble up (water)

Usage

Ferfer first describes the wing beat of a bird or insect that stirs and flutters. With a stronger r, the word imitates the sound of water gushing or bubbling forcefully. It is an expressive verb with a sound-imitating quality, frequent in informal speech. In the present it takes the form yferfer: ttir yferfer, "the bird is flapping its wings". The form tferfer can also describe something that wriggles or twitches. To simply say "to fly", the usual verb is tar.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ferfer” but also “farfar”, “frfr” and “yferfer”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “ferfer” on the Arabic keyboard