tabour طابور
Algerian Darja · noun
“tabour” (طابور) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning queue, waiting line.
Meanings
- queue, waiting line
- row, column of people
Usage
Tabour means a queue or waiting line. It is a very common word in Algeria, tied to administrative errands, the post office, bakeries, or shortages of certain goods. Typical constructions are dir tabour (to queue) and wqef fi tabour (to join the line). You also hear tabour twil, a long queue. It is also used for the rows of schoolchildren in the playground. The register is neutral and understood everywhere. The plural tawabir is rarely used in speech.
Example
درنا طابور ساعتين قدام البوسطة.
derna tabour sa3tin goddam la poste.
“We queued for two hours in front of the post office.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tabour” but also “6abor”, “tabor”, “6abour” and “taabour”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 6 is emphatic ta (ط).