roh or9od روح ارقد
Algerian Darja · expression
“roh or9od” (روح ارقد) is an expression in Algerian Darja meaning go to sleep, go to bed.
Meanings
- go to sleep, go to bed
- get lost, forget it (casual)
Usage
A command made of the imperative roh ("go") followed by orqod ("sleep"). It is used first in its literal sense, for example by a parent to a child in the evening. It is also used mockingly to send away someone who is talking nonsense or is out of touch, a bit like "go to bed" in casual English. The feminine is rohi orqdi, the plural rohou orqdou. The verb rqed is the usual word for "to sleep" in Algeria, alongside n3es in some regions. The q is often pronounced g.
Example
الوقت فات، روح ارقد.
lwe9t fat, roh or9od.
“It's late, go to sleep.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “roh or9od” but also “roh orgod”, “rouh ergod”, “ro7 or9od” and “roh rqed”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.