zrag زراق
Tunisian Derja · verb
“zrag” (زراق) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to turn blue.
Meanings
- to turn blue
- to darken to blue-black (bruise)
Usage
Zrâq is a color verb, like ḥmâr "to turn red" or sfâr "to turn yellow". It describes something taking on a blue tint. It is used mainly for skin after a blow or from cold, and for the lips or face of someone who is suffocating or shivering. The final long vowel is characteristic of these color verbs. In some regions the q is pronounced g, hence the spelling zrâg. The verb is intransitive: you don't turn something blue; it is the body part that turns blue. Don't confuse it with the adjective azraq, "blue".
Example
يدو زراق ملّي ضربها في الباب
idou zrâg melli dharbha fil bèb
“His hand turned all blue when he banged it against the door.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “zrag” but also “zraq”, “zreg”, “zra9” and “zrâg”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.