sayer صاير
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“sayer” (صاير) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning happening, ongoing.
Meanings
- happening, ongoing
- having happened, occurred
Usage
Active participle of the verb "sar", to happen, to occur. It is used mainly in phrases such as "chnouwa sayer ?", what's happening?, or "elli sayer", what is happening. It agrees: feminine "sayra", plural "sayrin". It expresses a situation in progress or whose result is observed, which should be translated with the present tense. It is often combined with "9a3ed / 9a3da" to stress duration: "9a3da sayra", which is happening right now. Neutral register, very common in speech as well as on social media.
Example
والله بالضبط هاذاك اللي صاير
walah bidhabt hedheka ili sayir
“By God, that's exactly what's happening.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sayer” but also “sayir”, “saayer” and “sayra”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.