sa3a ساعة
Algerian Darja · noun
“sa3a” (ساعة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning hour (length of time).
Meanings
- hour (length of time)
- watch, clock
- moment, while
Usage
Sa3a first means an hour of time: "sa3a w nos", an hour and a half. The same word means a watch or a clock: "chri sa3a", to buy a watch. To ask the time, you say "ch7al sa3a ?" or "ch7al rahi ?". Several expressions are common: "sa3a 3la sa3a", from time to time; "sa3at", sometimes; "dork sa3a", in a moment. The plural is swaye3 for hours and sa3at for watches. Note: "fi sa3a" can mean "in an hour" or "right away", depending on context.
Example
قعدت ساعة نستنى فيه
93adt sa3a nestna fih
“I waited for him for an hour.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sa3a” but also “saa” and “sa3”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.
Type “sa3a” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “hour (duration, time)”; “watch, clock”: sa3a in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “hour”; “watch, clock”: se3a in Tunisian.