chkar شكر
Algerian Darja · verb
“chkar” (شكر) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning to praise someone, speak highly of.
Meanings
- to praise someone, speak highly of
- to thank
Usage
The verb chkar (imperfect yechkar) mainly means "to speak well of someone": it takes a direct object or the preposition fi (chkar fih, "he praised him"). The sense "to thank" also exists, but it is more formal or religious, as in chkar rabbi, "to give thanks to God". For a simple thank-you, one rather says saha, yaatik saha or chokran. The noun chokr ("gratitude") appears mostly in fixed phrases. Pitfall: chkar fih does not necessarily mean "he thanked him", but most often "he recommended him" or "he spoke highly of him".
Example
شكرلي عليه بزاف، قالي راجل مليح.
chkarli 3lih bezzaf, galli rajel mlih.
“He praised him to me a lot, told me he's a good man.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chkar” but also “chker”, “chkor”, “shkar” and “chkr”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “chkar” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to thank”; “to praise someone”: chker in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to thank”; “to speak well of someone”: chkar in Tunisian.