win rak وين راك
Algerian Darja · expression
“win rak” (وين راك) is an expression in Algerian Darja meaning where are you?.
Meanings
- where are you?
- what have you been up to?
Usage
Win rak is a very common question in everyday speech. In fast speech it is often pronounced warrak. It agrees with the person addressed: win raki for a woman, win rakom for several people. Literally, it is used to locate someone, especially on the phone. It is also used as a friendly greeting to someone you haven't seen in a long time, meaning "where have you been?". The word rak is not a conjugated verb "to be": it is a presentational particle followed by a pronoun.
Example
وين راك يا خويا؟ ما بانتش
win rak ya khouya? ma bantch
“Where have you been, brother? We haven't seen you.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “win rak” but also “ouin rak” and “wen rak”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.