chef الشاف
Algerian Darja · noun
“chef” (الشاف) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning boss, manager at work.
Meanings
- boss, manager at work
- chef, cook
- chief (form of address)
Usage
Ech-chaf is the adapted loanword from French "chef", fully integrated into darja. It first refers to a hierarchical superior or the person in charge of a worksite or workshop, for example ech-chaf ta3i, "my boss". It is also used for a professional cook, notably for chefs seen on YouTube or on television. Finally, it is used as a familiar and respectful term of address: ya chaf! It takes the Arabic article el-. The common plural is chafat.
Example
الشاف قال لنا نخدمو حتى للعشية
ech-chaf qalna nkhedmou hatta l'3achiya
“The boss told us to work until the evening.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chef” but also “chaf”, “ech-chaf” and “echef”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.