fa9ou فاقو
Algerian Darja · verb
“fa9ou” (فاقو) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning they realized.
Meanings
- they realized
- they woke up
Usage
Faqou is the past tense, third person plural, of the verb faq / yfiq, "to wake up" and, figuratively, "to become aware of something". The figurative sense dominates: faqou bih, "they saw through him, they understood his game". Online, the exclamatory phrase ya w faqou is used to call on people to open their eyes. This use was popularized by the film "Taxi el makhfi". Familiar register and often ironic. Note that the regular imperative is fiqou, but faqou is also used in this fixed exclamation.
Example
فاقو بيه بلي راه يكذب عليهم
fa9ou bih belli rah ykdeb 3lihom
“They realized he was lying to them.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “fa9ou” but also “faqou”, “fakou”, “fa9o” and “faqo”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.