wach rak واش راك
Algerian Darja · expression
“wach rak” (واش راك) is an expression in Algerian Darja meaning how are you? how's it going?.
Meanings
- how are you? how's it going?
Usage
Wach rak is the basic greeting in Algeria, used among friends, in the family and with strangers, in a casual or neutral register. The pronoun agrees with the person addressed: wach rak to a man, wach raki to a woman, wach rakom to several people. The usual reply is "labas, el hamdoulah" or "bikhir". The phrase is often chained with others: "wach rak, labas?", "wach rak, how's it going?". A pitfall: wach alone means "what" or introduces a question, hence forms like wach dert (what did you do).
Example
السلام عليكم، واش راك؟ لاباس؟
salam 3alikom, wach rak? labas?
“Hello, how are you? All good?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “wach rak” but also “wesh rak”, “wech rak”, “wash rak” and “wach rk”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.