ghir غير

Tunisian Derja · preposition

“ghir” (غير) is a preposition in Tunisian Derja meaning without (men ghir).

Meanings

1. without (men ghir)
2. except, apart from, only
3. non-, un- (negative prefix)

Usage

Ghir is mostly heard in men ghir, "without". It can precede a noun, as in men ghir flous, "without money". It can also introduce a verb: men ghir ma n9ollou, "without telling him". Ghir also means "except" or "only", but for "only", Tunisians rather use ken: ma klit ken 5obz. Ghir ennou means "except that". Before an adjective, ghir serves as a negative prefix, as in ghir char3i, "illegitimate", a usage that comes from Standard Arabic. It should not be confused with the verb ghayyar, "to change".

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ghir” but also “ghyr”, “8ir” and “ghiir”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 8 is light ha (ه) or ghayn (غ), depending on the writer.

Type “ghir” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to change, to alter”; “to change clothes”: ghiyyer in Moroccan.

In Algerian Darja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “only, just”; “except, apart from”: ghir in Algerian.