khoch خش
Algerian Darja · verb
“khoch” (خش) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning come in! (imperative).
Meanings
- come in! (imperative)
- to enter, to go in
Usage
Khoch is the masculine singular imperative of the verb khech (to enter). The feminine is khochi, and the plural khochou. The verb is conjugated normally: khecht (I entered), ykhoch (he enters). It is very common throughout the country, often more so than dkhel, the form closer to Standard Arabic. It is used to invite someone in (khoch, khoch!) or to say that one is going into somewhere: khecht lel dar. Online, it is also used to invite people to click or to watch a video.
Example
خش، الباب محلول
khoch, lbab ma7loul
“Come in, the door is open.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khoch” but also “5och”, “khosh”, “khech” and “5osh”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.
Type “khoch” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “come in! (imperative)”; “to enter, to go in”: khech in Tunisian.