How to say “poor” in Darija
In Moroccan, you say “mskin” and “fa9ir”; in Algerian, “fqir” and “zawali”; in Tunisian, “meskin” and “fa9ir”.
In Moroccan Darija
mskin مسكين
An adjective meaning “poor thing, pitiable”; “kind, harmless, decent”; “destitute, without resources”.
ره مريض مسكين: “He's ill, poor thing.”
fa9ir فقير
An adjective meaning “poor, destitute”; “a poor person, someone in need”.
دكشي علاش أنا فقير: “That's why I'm poor.”
In Algerian Darja
fqir فقير
An adjective meaning “poor, destitute”; “poor in something”.
هو فقير بصّح قلبو كبير.: “He is poor, but he has a big heart.”
zawali زوالي
An adjective meaning “poor, destitute”; “humble, ordinary person”; “poor thing, unfortunate”.
هو زوالي بصح قلبو كبير: “He is poor, but he has a big heart.”
In Tunisian Derja
meskin مسكين
An adjective meaning “poor thing, pitiable”; “meek, harmless, kind”; “destitute, wretched”.
مسكين، مريض من البارح: “The poor thing, he's been sick since yesterday.”
fa9ir فقير
An adjective meaning “poor, without means”; “a poor person, a destitute person”.
ربي يعين الفقير: “May God help the poor.”