charaki diri شاراكي ديري
Algerian Darja · expression
“charaki diri” (شاراكي ديري) is an expression in Algerian Darja meaning what are you doing? (to a woman).
Meanings
- what are you doing? (to a woman)
- how are you doing? (greeting)
Usage
Charaki diri is the feminine form of charak dir. It is addressed to a woman: rak becomes raki and dir becomes diri. It is common in western Algeria, whereas the centre says wach raki diri instead. It is used to ask what the other woman is doing or, more broadly, to ask how she is. The register is informal, among female friends, in the family or in messages. For an English speaker, the pitfall is using the masculine form with a woman: gender agreement is mandatory in darja.
Example
شاراكي ديري يا أختي؟
charaki diri ya okhti ?
“What are you up to, sister?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “charaki diri” but also “chraki diri”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.