corona كورونا
Tunisian Derja · noun
“corona” (كورونا) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning coronavirus, covid.
Meanings
- coronavirus, covid
- the pandemic period
- the Covid pandemic
Usage
Corona, often preceded by the article (el corona), commonly refers to the coronavirus and the disease it causes. The word is used far more often than "covid". It is also used for the period of the pandemic and lockdown: zmen el corona, "in the time of the corona". One says jeto el corona, "he caught the corona". It is a loanword fully integrated into everyday speech, pronounced the Tunisian way with a rolled r.
Example
زمن الكورونا قعدنا في الدار
zmen el corona 9a3edna fi dar
“During the corona, we stayed at home.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “corona” but also “korona”, “kourona”, “coronna” and “kourouna”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find كورونا and كرونا, all the same word.