lakhater لخاطر علخاطر
Algerian Darja · conjunction
“lakhater” (لخاطر علخاطر) is a conjunction in Algerian Darja meaning because.
Meanings
- because
- since, given that
- for (someone), out of consideration for
Usage
3la khater, or lakhater, is the most common way to say "because" in Algeria. It introduces a clause of cause: "ma jitch 3la khater kont mrid". The forms khatrach and khatrek are also heard, and many speakers use French parce que or puisque. Followed by a pronoun or a noun, the expression takes the meaning "for, out of consideration for": "3la khatrek" means "for you, to please you". It belongs to a neutral register and is used everywhere.
Example
ما رحتش للخدمة على خاطر كنت مريض
ma ro7tch lel khedma 3la khater kont mrid
“I didn't go to work because I was sick.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “lakhater” but also “3lakhater”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.