sfer صفر
Tunisian Derja · numeral
“sfer” (صفر) is a numeral in Tunisian Derja meaning zero.
Meanings
- zero
- yellow (plural of asfer)
Usage
Sfer means the number zero. It is used for phone numbers, flights and scores, as well as for a zero grade. Figuratively, it describes someone or something useless: "sfer" is a harsh verdict. The same Arabic spelling can also be read sofr, the plural of asfer ("yellow"), as in "tomates sofr", "yellow tomatoes". Only context tells the two readings apart. For an English speaker, the main thing to remember is the pronunciation sfer, with an emphatic s, for the number.
Example
خذيت صفر في امتحان الرياضيات.
5dhit sfer fi emti7an e riyadhiyet.
“I got zero on the maths exam.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sfer” but also “sefr”, “sifr”, “sfr” and “sefer”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “sfer” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “yellow”; “pale, pallid (complexion)”: sfer in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “zero, nothing”; “worthless, terrible”: sifr in Algerian.