bit lma بيت الما
Algerian Darja · noun
“bit lma” (بيت الما) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning toilet, WC.
Meanings
- toilet, WC
Usage
Bit lma, literally "the room of the water", is the most common expression for the toilet, at home and elsewhere. It is neutral and polite, and suits all situations. It is sometimes accompanied by a respect formula such as "hachak" when speaking of it in front of someone. Frequent synonyms: toilette or twalet, and visi, from the French "WC". Note: the word does not refer to the bathroom where one washes, which is rather called bit essabbana or douche. It is used with the article: bit lma.
Example
وين راه بيت الما؟
win rah bit lma?
“Where is the toilet?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bit lma” but also “bit elma” and “beit lma”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “bit lma” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “toilet, restroom”; “washroom”: bit lma in Moroccan.