galou قالوا
Algerian Darja · verb
“galou” (قالوا) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning they said.
Meanings
- they said
- it is said, apparently
Usage
Third-person plural past form of the verb gal / qal (to say). Depending on the region, it is pronounced galou or qalou. Besides the literal meaning, the word is widely used impersonally, as "they say" or "apparently", to report a rumor or news without citing the source. It also introduces proverbs: "galou…". Finally, the word can mean "they told him" when the pronoun is understood. Do not confuse it with goulou (say!), the plural imperative.
Example
قالوا غدوة كاين الشتا
galou ghodwa kayen chta
“They say it's going to rain tomorrow.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “galou” but also “qalou”, “kalou” and “9alou”. 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.
Type “galou” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “they said”; “they say (rumor)”: galou in Moroccan.