wesh bik واش بيك
Algerian Darja · expression
“wesh bik” (واش بيك) is an expression in Algerian Darja meaning what's wrong with you?.
Meanings
- what's wrong with you?
- what's gotten into you?
Usage
A very common question, formed from wesh (what) and bik (with you). It is used to ask someone what is wrong: sadness, tiredness, illness, an unusual mood. Depending on intonation, it can also express irritation, like "what's gotten into you?". The final pronoun changes with the person: wesh bih (what's wrong with him?), wesh biha (what's wrong with her?), wesh bikoum (what's wrong with you all?). Pitfall: it is not a greeting like wesh rak (how are you?). It assumes you have noticed something unusual.
Example
واش بيك ساكت اليوم؟
wesh bik saket lyoum?
“What's wrong with you, you're not saying anything today?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “wesh bik” but also “wach bik”, “wech bik”, “wsh bik” and “wache bik”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.