qrib قريب
Algerian Darja · adjective
“qrib” (قريب) is an adjective in Algerian Darja meaning near, close.
Meanings
- near, close
- soon, approaching
- almost, about to
Usage
Qrib is used for distance: "qrib men eddar" (near the house). It is also used for time: "Ramdan qrib" (Ramadan is approaching). Before a verb, it takes the meaning "almost": "qrib tahet" (I almost fell). The feminine is qriba. The word also means a relative, with the plural qrayeb or qrab. The expression "men qrib" means "from up close" or "recently". The register is common and neutral.
Example
الحانوت قريب من الدار
el hanout qrib men eddar
“The grocery shop is near the house.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “qrib” but also “9rib”, “grib” and “krib”. 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.
Type “qrib” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “near, close”; “soon, almost”: 9rib in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “near, close”; “almost, about to”: 9rib in Tunisian.