qara قارة
Algerian Darja · noun
“qara” (قارة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning continent.
Meanings
- continent
- vast, varied country (hyperbole)
Usage
The word qara means a continent, as in Standard Arabic: qarret Ifriqya, "the African continent". In Darja, it is mostly heard in the phrase el-Djazayer qara, "Algeria is a continent". It is used with pride to stress the vastness of the country and the variety of its landscapes, climates and cultures, often in response to a comparison with a neighbouring country. The word is feminine: qara kbira. Do not confuse it with qaâ, "bottom", or with place names or family names that look similar in writing.
Example
الجزاير قارة، فيها البحر والجبال والصحرا.
el djazayer qara, fiha lbhar w ljbal w sahra.
“Algeria is a continent: it has the sea, the mountains and the desert.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “qara” but also “kara”, “9ara” and “gara”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.