chkar شكر
Tunisian Derja · verb
“chkar” (شكر) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to thank.
Meanings
- to thank
- to speak well of someone
Usage
The verb chkar (imperfect yochkor / ychker) means to thank, mainly in somewhat formal phrases: "nochkrek", I thank you. In everyday speech, people more often thank with "ya3tik essa7a" or "merci". It has a second, very lively meaning: to say good things about someone, to recommend them. So "chkartek 3andou" means "I said good things about you to him". The pitfall for an English speaker is to always read it as thanks, when it is often praise. The noun chokr, gratitude, belongs to a more formal or religious register.
Example
نشكرك برشا على المعاونة متاعك
nochkrek barcha 3la el m3awna mte3ek
“I thank you very much for your help.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chkar” but also “chker”, “ychker” and “chokr”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “chkar” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to thank”; “to praise someone”: chker in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to praise someone, speak highly of”; “to thank”: chkar in Algerian.