wachtahi وشتاهي
Algerian Darja · expression
“wachtahi” (وشتاهي) is an expression in Algerian Darja meaning what is it? (feminine).
Meanings
- what is it? (feminine)
- what is this thing?
Usage
Wachtahi is a fixed question meaning "what is it?" and is used when the thing referred to is grammatically feminine: "wachtahi had el-haja?". It agrees with what follows: for the masculine one says "wachtahou", for the plural "wachtahoum". It is often used to ask the name or brand of something, for example a device or an app. The register is colloquial and spoken, very frequent in the center and east of the country. The pitfall is forgetting the gender agreement: you need to know the gender of the Arabic or borrowed noun.
Example
وشتاهي هاد الحاجة لي شريتها؟
wachtahi had el haja li chritha?
“What is this thing you bought?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “wachtahi” but also “wachtahiya”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.