chekkel شكّل
Moroccan Darija · verb
“chekkel” (شكّل) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to vary, diversify.
Meanings
- to vary, diversify
- to form, constitute
- to shape
Usage
Chekkel, with a doubled consonant, mostly means to vary or diversify: chekkel f lmakla, "to vary one's diet". The participle mchekkel, feminine mchekkla, is very common in the sense of "assorted, varied": 7lwa mchekkla, "an assortment of pastries". In a more formal register, close to standard Arabic, the verb means to form or constitute. It should not be confused with the noun chkel, "shape, appearance". This noun appears in colloquial expressions: f chkel or chkel, "strange", and b wa7ed chkel, "in a certain way".
Example
خاصك تشكّل فالماكلة ديالك
khassek tchekkel f lmakla dyalek
“You need to vary your diet.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kanchkkel | chkkelt | |
| nta (you, m.) | katchkkel | chkkelti | chkkel |
| nti (you, f.) | katchkkli | chkkelti | chkkli |
| howa (he) | kaychkkel | chkkel | |
| hiya (she) | katchkkel | chkklat | |
| 7na (we) | kanchkklo | chkklna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katchkklo | chkklto | chkklo |
| homa (they) | kaychkklo | chkklo |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chekkel” but also “chkkel”, “chakkal”, “chkel”, “shekkel” and “shkel”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “chekkel” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “shape, look, appearance”; “kind, sort (plural)”: chakl in Tunisian.