sre9 سرق
Algerian Darja · verb
“sre9” (سرق) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning steal, rob.
Meanings
- steal, rob
- take on the sly
Usage
Sreq is the usual verb for "steal" in the sense of taking what isn't yours. The present tense is yesreq. The victim is introduced with "li": "sreqli tilifoun" (someone stole my phone). The passive is formed with tsreq: "tsreqtli lwatura" (my car was stolen). It is also used in a joking tone for someone who secretly takes food or an object. The thief is called sarraq or sarrag. The verb never means "fly" in the sense of moving through the air, which is said tar.
Example
سرقولي التيليفون في الطرانسبور
sre9ouli tilifoun fe transpor
“Someone stole my phone on the bus.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sre9” but also “sreq”, “sra9”, “sreg” and “sarq”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “sre9” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to steal”; “to burgle, rob”: sre9 in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to steal, take”; “to cheat (at a game)”: sra9 in Tunisian.