harb حرب
Algerian Darja · noun
“harb” (حرب) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning war, armed conflict.
Meanings
- war, armed conflict
- fight, struggle (figurative)
Usage
Harb means war. It is generally used with the article: "lharb". In Algeria, the word often evokes the war of liberation, which in conversation is also called "la guerre" in French. It is used figuratively for a fierce rivalry or a quarrel that drags on. The plural "houroub" belongs to a formal register. Note: in online writing, the same spelling can stand for the verb "hrab" (he fled), which is normally written with a light h. Context decides between the two readings.
Example
جدي حكالنا على الحرب كي كان صغير
jeddi hkalna 3la lharb ki kan sghir
“My grandfather told us about the war when he was little.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “harb” but also “7arb”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.
Type “harb” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “war”; “conflict, bitter rivalry”: 7erb in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “war”; “conflict, fierce struggle”: 7arb in Tunisian.