cha3 شاع
Tunisian Derja · verb
“cha3” (شاع) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to spread (news, rumor).
Meanings
- to spread (news, rumor)
Usage
Cha3 means that news, a rumor or a reputation spreads and becomes known to everyone. Its subject is almost always the word khbar (the news) or a noun of that kind: "cha3 el khbar fel 7ouma" (the news spread through the neighborhood). It is common in tales and stories, with a slightly elevated register. In everyday conversation, people more readily say "tla3 el khbar" or "dar el khbar". The verb is used mostly in the perfect, masculine cha3 and feminine cha3et. The place can be specified with the preposition fi.
Example
شاع الخبر في الحومة الكل
cha3 el khbar fel 7ouma lkol
“The news spread throughout the whole neighborhood.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “cha3” but also “chaa3” and “cha3et”. 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.