cha3el شاعل
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“cha3el” (شاعل) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning on, lit, switched on (light, fire, device).
Meanings
- on, lit, switched on (light, fire, device)
- angry, worked up
Usage
Cha3el is the participle of cha3el / ch3el, "to switch on, to light". It first describes a light, a fire, a television or an engine that is running: dow cha3el, "the light is on". The opposite is tafi, "off". In the figurative, colloquial sense, it is used for a person who is annoyed, on edge, or very worked up: malek cha3el ?, "what's got you worked up?". The feminine is cha3la and the plural is cha3lin. Depending on context, the figurative sense can also mean someone full of energy, not necessarily angry.
Example
خليو داو شاعل
khliw dow cha3l
“Leave the light on.”
Forms
| feminine | cha3la |
|---|---|
| plural | cha3lin |
| feminine plural | cha3lat |
Forms as recorded in DODa, in its spelling.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “cha3el” but also “cha3l”, “sha3el” and “chaal”. 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.
Type “cha3el” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “on, lit, switched on”; “in turmoil, heated”: cha3el in Tunisian.