chbik شبيك
Algerian Darja · expression
“chbik” (شبيك) is an expression in Algerian Darja meaning what's wrong with you?.
Meanings
- what's wrong with you?
- what's got into you?
Usage
Chbik is addressed to a person to ask what is the matter with them, either with concern ("are you ill?") or with reproach or surprise ("what's got into you?"). Intonation makes all the difference. It changes with the pronoun: chbih ("what's wrong with him?"), chbiha, chbikom. Very common, especially in eastern Algeria; elsewhere you also hear wach bik with the same meaning. Informal register. The irritated tone of chbik can sound curt: do not use it with someone you would address formally.
Example
شبيك ساكت اليوم؟
chbik saket lyoum?
“What's wrong with you, you're not saying anything today?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chbik” but also “shbik” and “chbiik”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.