rak fahem راك فاهم
Algerian Darja · expression
“rak fahem” (راك فاهم) is an expression in Algerian Darja meaning you see? you know what I mean?.
Meanings
- you see? you know what I mean?
Usage
Rak fahem is a very frequent expression, added at the end of a sentence to check that the listener is following, or to stress an implication. It is equivalent to "you see?" or "you know what I mean?". It is often not a real question: no answer is expected. Depending on intonation, it can be complicit, insistent or ironic. It has become emblematic of Algerian speech and is sometimes used to imitate it. The feminine is "rak fahma", the plural "rakom fahmin". Familiar register.
Example
ما نقدرش نقولك كلش، راك فاهم.
ma nqderch ngoulek kolch, rak fahem.
“I can't tell you everything, you know.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “rak fahem” but also “rak faham”, “rak fahm” and “rek fahem”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.