ki dayer كي داير
Algerian Darja · expression
“ki dayer” (كي داير) is an expression in Algerian Darja meaning how are you?.
Meanings
- how are you?
- how is it going?
Usage
"Ki dayer?" is the most common way to ask someone how they are. Literally, the phrase means "how are you made?". It agrees with the person: "ki dayer?" to a man, "ki dayra?" to a woman, "ki dayrin?" to several people. It is used with family, friends or colleagues, often with "labas?" or "wech?". The answer is "labas, el 7amdoulah" or "mlih". To ask how something is going, it agrees with the subject: "ki dayra el khedma?".
Example
واش خويا، كي داير؟ لاباس؟
wech khouya, ki dayer? labas?
“Hey brother, how are you? Everything fine?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ki dayer” but also “ki dayr” and “ki dair”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.