ch8er sb3a شهر سبعة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“ch8er sb3a” (شهر سبعة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning July.
Meanings
- July
Usage
Chher sb3a, literally "month seven", is the most common way to say July in darija. It is the month of summer holidays and of Moroccans living abroad coming home, hence its frequent use in diaspora conversations. It is built without an article: "f chher sb3a" (in July). You also hear "youlyouz" or "juillet", depending on the speaker. Pitfall: "sb3a chhor" means "seven months", a duration, whereas the month is always said with chher first.
Example
كنجيو للمغرب ف شهر سبعة
kanjiw lmghrib f chher sb3a
“We come to Morocco in July.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ch8er sb3a” but also “ch8ar sb3a”, “ch8r sb3a” and “ch8er seb3a”. 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; 8 is light ha (ه) or ghayn (غ), depending on the writer.