mghirfa مغيرفة
Algerian Darja · noun
“mghirfa” (مغيرفة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning teaspoon, small spoon.
Meanings
- teaspoon, small spoon
- teaspoonful (amount)
Usage
Mghirfa is the diminutive of mgharfa (spoon). It is used for the teaspoon or dessert spoon, and very often for the quantity it holds: "dir mghirfa sokkar" (put in a teaspoon of sugar). The word is informal and common at home, especially in cooking and in orally passed-down recipes. The diminutive can also suggest a modest amount, "just a little". Note: the usual plural is mgharef or mghirfat depending on the region, and the word has nothing to do with the ladle, which is called something else.
Example
زيدلي مغيرفة سكر في القهوة.
zidli mghirfa sokkar fel qahwa.
“Add a teaspoon of sugar to my coffee.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mghirfa” but also “mgherfa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.