zboun الزبون
Algerian Darja · noun
“zboun” (الزبون) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning customer, clientele.
Meanings
- customer, clientele
Usage
Zboun (here with the article: ezzboun) means the customer of a shop, a craftsman or a service. It is the usual word among shopkeepers: ezzboun dima 3andou l7a9 ("the customer is always right"). The plural is zbayen or zbouna. It is also used collectively for the clientele: makach zboun lyoum ("there are no customers today"). In an informal register, it is sometimes used ironically for a person someone is trying to trick. The word client, pronounced the French way, is also heard in town. This word is different from "consumer", which belongs more to Standard Arabic.
Example
الحانوت عامر بالزبون اليوم.
l7anout 3amer bezzboun lyoum.
“The shop is full of customers today.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “zboun” but also “ezzboun”, “zbun”, “zzboun” and “zbon”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.