guirra ڨيرة
Algerian Darja · noun
“guirra” (ڨيرة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning conflict, quarrel, discord.
Meanings
- conflict, quarrel, discord
- war
Usage
Guirra comes from Spanish guerra. It is heard mainly in the west of the country. The word is rarely used for military war, for which people say 7arb. It refers rather to a conflict between people, neighbours or families, a quarrel that gets worse. Typical expressions: rahi guirra binathom, "it's war between them", and dar guirra, "he stirred up trouble". The register is informal, sometimes tinged with humour or exaggeration. Depending on the region, people also say dbeza or mechkel for a quarrel.
Example
راهي ڨيرة بين الجيران
rahi guirra bin ljiran
“There's a feud going on between the neighbours.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “guirra” but also “guira”, “guerra” and “gira”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.