3arkel عرقل
Tunisian Derja · verb
“3arkel” (عرقل) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to obstruct, to hinder, to block.
Meanings
- to obstruct, to hinder, to block
- to trip (someone) (football)
Usage
3arqel means to stop something from moving forward: a project, a procedure, traffic. It is heard mostly in political debates, administration and sports commentary. In a match, 3arqlou means "they tripped him". The noun 3arqla refers to the obstacle, or the foul in football. The word is close to standard Arabic and its register is fairly formal. In casual conversation, phrases like wa99ef el khedma ("he blocked the work") are often preferred. It is conjugated like a four-consonant verb: y3arqel, 3arqlet.
Example
عرقلوه قدّام المرمى وطاح.
3arqlouh 9oddem el marma w ta7.
“They tripped him in front of the goal and he fell.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3arkel” but also “3arqel”, “3argel” and “arkel”. 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 “3arkel” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to trip someone up”; “to hinder, obstruct a project”: 3er9el in Moroccan.