berk برك
Algerian Darja · adverb
“berk” (برك) is an adverb in Algerian Darja meaning only, just.
Meanings
- only, just
- that's all, period
Usage
Berk means "only" and generally goes at the end of a sentence or after the element it restricts: jit nsellem berk, "I just came to say hello". At the beginning or in the middle of a sentence, ghir is preferred, with the same meaning: ghir jit nsellem. The two can also be combined. W berk, "and that's all", closes a list or cuts a discussion short. Not to be confused with barka, "enough, that's enough", from the same family but used as an exclamation to stop something. The word is informal and very frequent.
Example
عندي عشرين دينار برك
3andi 3echrine dinar berk
“I only have twenty dinars.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “berk” but also “bark” and “brk”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “berk” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “only, just”; “that's all, enough”: bark in Tunisian.