wach واش
Algerian Darja · pronoun
“wach” (واش) is a pronoun in Algerian Darja meaning what.
Meanings
- what
- is it that (yes/no question)
- hi! hey! (casual call)
Usage
Wach has several uses. As an interrogative it means "what": wach t7ab?, "what do you want?". It also works as a relative: ma lqach wach yqoul, "he didn't find what to say". At the start of a sentence, it introduces a yes/no question like "is it that": wach rak mlih?, "are you doing well?". Alone, wach! is used as a casual call or greeting, hence the "wesh" that entered colloquial French. Context and intonation tell these uses apart. The register is colloquial but universal.
Example
واش راك تدير؟
wach rak dir ?
“What are you doing?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “wach” but also “wech”, “wesh”, “wash” and “ouech”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “wach” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “question particle (yes/no)”; “whether, if (indirect question)”: wach in Moroccan.