chrray شرّاي
Moroccan Darija · noun
“chrray” (شرّاي) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning buyer, customer.
Meanings
- buyer, customer
- frequent buyer
Usage
Chrray is formed from the verb chra ("to buy") on the agent-noun pattern. It means the one who buys, as opposed to the seller (bayya3 or mul l7anut). It is used in the souk, in trade, and in sale ads: kayn chi chrray? ("is there a buyer?"). The plural is chrraya. The word is informal and common, with no particular connotation. For "customer" in the sense of a regular at a shop, people more often say klyan, borrowed from French.
Example
الطوموبيل باقا ما لقيت ليها شرّاي
tomobil ba9a ma l9it liha chrray
“I still haven't found a buyer for the car.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chrray” but also “chray”, “cherray” and “chrrai”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.