cha3el شعل

Algerian Darja · verb

“cha3el” (شعل) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning to light, turn on (fire, cigarette, light).

Meanings

1. to light, turn on (fire, cigarette, light)
2. to catch fire
3. to heat up, get lively (atmosphere)

Usage

cha3el means "to light". It is used for fire, gas, a cigarette or a light: cha3el dhaw, "turn on the light". In the intransitive sense, cha3let means "it caught fire, it's burning". In colloquial speech, the word also describes an atmosphere that is heating up or a situation that is getting out of hand: cha3let, "things heated up". The passive participle mcha3el means "lit, on". For the opposite, tfa ("to put out, turn off") is used. Note: in Darja, the verb applies to electrical appliances as well as to actual fire. The register is common and the word is heard throughout the country.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “cha3el” but also “cha3al”, “chaal”, “cha3l” and “chaale”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.

Type “cha3el” on the Arabic keyboard

In Tunisian Derja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to light (fire, candle, cigarette)”; “to switch on (light, device)”: cha3el in Tunisian.