la لا
Algerian Darja · particle
“la” (لا) is a particle in Algerian Darja meaning no (negative answer).
Meanings
- no (negative answer)
- not (prohibition, oath)
Usage
La is first used to answer "no". In speech, you very often hear the doubled form lala, which is firmer and sometimes more polite. To negate a verb, darja does not use la: it uses ma… ch, as in ma nfhamch (I don't understand). La is found in a few set phrases, such as wallah la… ("I swear not…") or in prohibitions with a religious or formal tone. Be careful not to confuse it with wella ("or", "to become"), which Latin spelling sometimes renders very similarly.
Example
تحب قهوة؟ لا، صحيت.
t7eb qahwa? la, sa7it.
“Do you want coffee? No, thank you.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “la” but also “lala”, “laa” and “lla”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “la” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “no”; “don't (prohibition)”: la in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “no (answer)”; “neither… nor (la… la)”: la in Tunisian.