rayes رايس
Algerian Darja · noun
“rayes” (رايس) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning president (of the Republic).
Meanings
- president (of the Republic)
- chief, leader
- ship captain (historical)
Usage
Rayes (or rais) means the chief, and especially the President of the Republic: rayes ed-dawla, rayes el-djoumhouria. It is also used more broadly for anyone at the head of a group. The old sense of ship captain survives in historical references to the corsairs of Algiers. In everyday language, the word remains mostly political. It also appears in an ironic or admiring tone, for example: "you deserve to be rayes". The plural ryass is found mostly in the historical sense.
Example
الرايس هدر في التلفزيون البارح
rayes hder fe tilifizioun lbare7
“The president spoke on television yesterday.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “rayes” but also “rais”, “raiss”, “rayess” and “rayyes”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.