chef شاف
Tunisian Derja · verb
“chef” (شاف) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to see.
Meanings
- to see
- to look at, to watch
- chef (French loanword)
Usage
Chèf is the past tense of the verb "to see" or "to look": chèf (he saw), choft (I saw / you saw), ychouf (he sees), chouf ! (look!). It is one of the most frequent verbs in the language. The imperative chouf also works as an opener, meaning "listen" or "well". It is often constructed with "fi" to mean "to look at someone". As a homograph, the same spelling can also write the loanword "chef", meaning boss or cook. Context resolves the ambiguity.
Example
هههه شف واسكت
hhhhhhhhhhh chouf wskout
“Hahaha, just watch and keep quiet.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chef” but also “chèf”, “chaf”, “shef” and “chéf”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “chef” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to see”; “to look, to take a look”: chaf in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to see, to catch sight of”; “to look, to have a look”: chaf in Algerian.