chra شرى
Tunisian Derja · verb
“chra” (شرى) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to buy, obtain for money.
Meanings
- to buy, obtain for money
- to buy someone off, bribe
Usage
Chra (imperfect yechri) is the usual verb for "to buy" in Tunisia, in all registers. Conjugation: chrit (I bought), chrina (we bought), nechri (I buy), echri! (buy!). The beneficiary is marked with li: echrili (buy me), chritlou (I bought him). The seller is introduced with min 3and: chra min 3andou (he bought from him). Its opposite is ba3 / yebi3 (to sell). Figuratively, techri rjel means "to buy men", winning their loyalty with money. Pitfall: do not confuse it with chra in the classical sense of "to sell", which does not exist in derja.
Example
و ولدي ولّى يقول لي اشري لي كيف ولد عمي
W weldi walla y9oli echrili kif weld 3ami
“And my son started telling me: buy me one like my cousin's.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chra” but also “chre”, “chrit”, “yechri”, “echri” and “chri”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find شرى and شرا, all the same word.
Type “chra” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
The same word also exists in Moroccan Darija, written شرا, where it means “to buy”; “to buy for someone”: chra in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
The same word also exists in Algerian Darja, written شرا, where it means “to buy”; “to obtain, acquire”: chra in Algerian.