chra3 شرع
Moroccan Darija · noun
“chra3” (شرع) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning justice, law.
Meanings
- justice, law
- court, legal action
Usage
Chra3 refers to law and justice, in both the religious and the judicial sense. In everyday use, it mostly means going to court: "nmchiw l chra3" (we'll go to court). The fixed expression "dir chra3 idik" means "to take the law into your own hands". It is often used in the negative to warn someone: "ma dirch chra3 idik". Despite the spelling, in these uses the word is not a verb meaning "to proceed". The register is neutral.
Example
ماديرش شرع إيديك
madirch chre3 idik
“Don't take the law into your own hands.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kanchre3 | chre3t | |
| nta (you, m.) | katchre3 | chre3ti | chre3 |
| nti (you, f.) | katchr3i | chre3ti | chr3i |
| howa (he) | kaychre3 | chre3 | |
| hiya (she) | katchre3 | chr3at | |
| 7na (we) | kanchr3o | chr3na | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katchr3o | chr3to | chr3o |
| homa (they) | kaychr3o | chr3o |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chra3” but also “chre3”, “char3”, “shra3” and “chr3”. 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.