barak بارك
Algerian Darja · verb
“barak” (بارك) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning to bless (mostly in formulas).
Meanings
- to bless (mostly in formulas)
- to congratulate
Usage
This verb appears mainly in the formula baraka llahou fik, which is also pronounced barek llah fik. It literally means "may God bless you" and is commonly used to thank someone or to acknowledge an effort. To a woman, one says fiki; in the plural, fikom. The verb barek is also used to mean "to congratulate": barkoulou 3la zwaj ("they congratulated him on his marriage"), nbarklek ("I congratulate you"). These uses are close to mabrouk and belong to a polite, often religious register, but are very much an everyday thing.
Example
بارك الله فيك على المساعدة
barak allah fik 3la lmousa3ada
“May God bless you for the help.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “barak” but also “barek”, “baraka” and “bark”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “barak” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to congratulate someone”; “to bless”: barek in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to bless (God), in formulas”; “to congratulate someone”: barak in Tunisian.