sghar صغار
Tunisian Derja · noun
“sghar” (صغار) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning children, kids.
Meanings
- children, kids
- small (plural adjective)
- young, of tender age
Usage
Sghar is the plural of "sghir" (small). On its own or with a possessive, it means children: "sghari" (my children), "sghar el 7ouma" (the neighbourhood kids). It also works as a plural adjective after a noun, for example "dyar sghar" (small houses). You hear it in "ki konna sghar" (when we were little). Worth remembering that in casual speech it often replaces "children", alongside "awled" or "sghayer".
Example
تي هي الام ساعات ما تعدلش بين صغارها
ti hiya l'omm sa3at mata3dalch bin sgharha
“Well, a mother is sometimes not fair between her children.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sghar” but also “s8ar”, “sghaar” and “sghor”. 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.