keri كاري
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“keri” (كاري) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning rented, for hire.
Meanings
- rented, for hire
- borrowed, not one's own (figurative)
Usage
Keri describes what is rented, as opposed to what one owns (melk): "karhba keri", a rental car. It goes after the noun and is most often invariable. Figuratively, it applies to a quality one displays without really having it, as in "rojla keri", borrowed manliness. The corresponding verb is kra (to rent) and rent is el kra. Not to be confused with curry, which is spelled the same way in Arabic.
Example
خذيت كرهبة كاري للصيف
khdhit karhba keri lel sif
“I took a rental car for the summer.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “keri” but also “kéri”, “kari” and “kery”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.