3lash علاش لاش
Algerian Darja · adverb
“3lash” (علاش لاش) is an adverb in Algerian Darja meaning why.
Meanings
- why
- that's why
Usage
3lach is the common question word for "why". The short form lach is frequent in fast speech and in some regions. It goes at the start of the sentence: "3lach ma jitch ?" means "why didn't you come?". Preceded by a demonstrative, it takes an explanatory sense: "hadak 3lach" means "that's why". To answer, you say 3la khater or khater, meaning "because". Note: lach can also mean "what's the point" or "what for" in "lach ?".
Example
علاش ما جيتش البارح؟
3lach ma jitch lbare7?
“Why didn't you come yesterday?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3lash” but also “lash”. 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.