sa3a ساعة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“sa3a” (ساعة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning hour (duration, time).
Meanings
- hour (duration, time)
- watch, clock
- moment, instant
Usage
Sa3a refers to the hour, either as a duration or as a time of day. To ask the time, you say chhal f ssa3a? or chhal ssa3a daba? For a duration: sa3a w ness (an hour and a half), sa3tin (two hours). The word is also used for a watch or clock, although mangana or magana is common for a watch. Several expressions are common: sa3at (sometimes), f had ssa3a (right this moment), mn sa3a l sa3a (from time to time). The plural is swaye3 or sa3at depending on the meaning.
Example
شحال ساعة دابا
chhal sa3a daba
“What time is it now?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sa3a” but also “saa3a”, “ssa3a” and “sa3aa”. 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.
Type “sa3a” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “hour (length of time)”; “watch, clock”: sa3a in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “hour”; “watch, clock”: se3a in Tunisian.