ch7aladi شحالادي
Algerian Darja · expression
“ch7aladi” (شحالادي) is an expression in Algerian Darja meaning it's been a long time.
Meanings
- it's been a long time
- how much is this?
Usage
Ch7al hadi, often contracted to ch7aladi, mainly means "it's been a long time", literally "how long this is". It is used when meeting again: ch7al hadi ma chafnak ("it's been a long time since we saw you"). The negative clause that follows is built with ma… The same string of words can also mean, literally, "how much is this one?", when pointing at an item at the market. Context and intonation tell the two senses apart. The register is colloquial and very common.
Example
شحال هادي ما شفناك!
ch7al hadi ma chefnak!
“It's been so long since we saw you!”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, it is written “ch7aladi”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.