bira بيرّة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“bira” (بيرّة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning beer.
Meanings
- beer
Usage
Bira is the usual loanword for "beer", well integrated into darija. It is sometimes pronounced with a rolled, doubled r, hence the spelling "birra". It is counted by the unit: "juj birat", "wa7ed l-bira". The word is neutral in itself. However, drinking alcohol is frowned upon in many circles, and people often talk about it discreetly. In bars and hotels, people also order in French.
Example
واش نقدر ناخد بيرة؟
wach n9dar nakhad bira?
“Can I have a beer?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bira” but also “birra”, “biira” and “bierra”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “bira” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “beer”; “alcoholic drink (by extension)”: birra in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “beer”; “brewer's yeast (khmira birra)”: birra in Tunisian.