chaf شاف
Algerian Darja · verb
“chaf” (شاف) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning to see, to catch sight of.
Meanings
- to see, to catch sight of
- to look, to have a look
- boss, chief (French loanword)
Usage
Chaf is the ordinary verb for "to see" in darja, used instead of Standard Arabic ra'a. In the perfect, you say chaft (I saw / you saw), chafet (she saw), chafou (they saw). In the imperfect, you say ychouf (he sees), and the imperative chouf means "look!". The imperative also works as an interjection to get attention ("chouf, ..."). The homograph chaf or chef is a borrowing from French "chef" and means a boss or person in charge. Only context distinguishes this noun from the verb. The register is neutral and the word is used everywhere.
Example
شفتو البارح في السوق
cheftou lbareh f souk
“I saw him yesterday at the market.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chaf” but also “shaf”, “chef”, “chouf” and “shaaf”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “chaf” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to see”; “to look, to take a look”: chaf in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to see”; “to look at, to watch”: chef in Tunisian.