sre9 سرق
Moroccan Darija · verb
“sre9” (سرق) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to steal.
Meanings
- to steal
- to burgle, rob
Usage
Sre9 is the common verb for "to steal". The present is kaysre9, the imperative sre9. The victim is introduced by l- or li-: sre9 liya l-portable, "he stole my phone". A thief is called sheffar or serra9. The expression serra9 zit, literally "oil thief", means the cockroach. The word is neutral in register. In arabizi, 9 stands for the sound q.
Example
سرقو ليه البزطام ف الطوبيس
sre9o lih lbeztam f tobis
“Someone stole his wallet on the bus.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kansre9 | sre9t | |
| nta (you, m.) | katsre9 | sre9ti | sre9 |
| nti (you, f.) | katsr9i | sre9ti | sr9i |
| howa (he) | kaysre9 | sre9 | |
| hiya (she) | katsre9 | sr9at | |
| 7na (we) | kansr9o | sr9na | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katsr9o | sr9to | sr9o |
| homa (they) | kaysr9o | sr9o |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sre9” but also “sra9”, “sr9”, “sreq” and “ser9”. 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.
Type “sre9” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “steal, rob”; “take on the sly”: sre9 in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to steal, take”; “to cheat (at a game)”: sra9 in Tunisian.