walou والو
Algerian Darja · pronoun
“walou” (والو) is a pronoun in Algerian Darja meaning nothing.
Meanings
- nothing
- not at all
Usage
Walou is the everyday word for "nothing". It is usually placed after a verb in the negative: "ma fhemt walou" (I didn't understand anything), "ma kla walou" (he didn't eat anything). It can also answer a question on its own: "wach kayen ? – walou" (what's new? – nothing). The expression "men walou" means "from nothing" or "for no reason". The register is informal but entirely neutral. French speakers in Algeria also use it in spoken French.
Example
ما فهمت والو في هاد الدرس
ma fhemt walou f had dars
“I didn't understand anything in this lesson.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “walou” but also “walo”, “walu”, “wallou” and “oualou”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “walou” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “nothing”; “no, not at all (reply)”: walo in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “nothing at all”: walou in Tunisian.