tcheqleb تشقلب
Algerian Darja · verb
“tcheqleb” (تشقلب) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning to tumble, take a tumble.
Meanings
- to tumble, take a tumble
- to do a somersault
- to turn over, flip over
Usage
Tcheqleb describes a fall in which one rolls or flips head over heels, or a deliberate somersault. It is used for a person falling down stairs, a child doing rolls, or a car flipping over. It often combines with tah (to fall): tah w tcheqleb. The transitive form cheqleb means "to turn over, flip" something or someone, for example a father playing with his child. The register is colloquial, and the figurative use for things turned upside down is also frequent. The consonant q is pronounced q or g depending on the region.
Example
الطفل طاح وتشقلب في الدروج
tfel tah w tcheqleb f droudj
“The child fell and tumbled down the stairs.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tcheqleb” but also “tcha9leb”, “tchaqleb”, “tchegleb” and “tche9leb”. 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.