zayer زاير
Tunisian Derja · noun
“zayer” (زاير) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning visitor.
Meanings
- visitor
- guest, passing visitor
Usage
Zayer is the active participle of zar / yzour (to visit), used as a noun. It refers to a visitor, whether to a museum, a shrine, or a home. The common plural is zouwwar, and one also says "zayrin". In a family context, "3andna zouwwar" means "we have visitors". The word is also used in standard Arabic, but it remains perfectly common in derja. Do not confuse it with zayed (extra, too much), which sounds similar in speech.
Example
عندنا زوّار اليوم، حضّري القهوة.
3andna zouwwar lyoum, 7adhri l9ahwa.
“We have visitors today, get the coffee ready.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “zayer” but also “zaier”, “zayir” and “zaayer”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.