ya يا

Algerian Darja · particle

“ya” (يا) is a particle in Algerian Darja meaning vocative particle (O, hey).

Meanings

1. vocative particle (O, hey)
2. either... or

Usage

A vocative particle placed before the name of the person being called: ya Karim, ya khouya, ya ma ("mom"). English has no exact equivalent. It is often translated by leaving out the particle, or by "hey". It appears in affectionate or exclamatory expressions: ya hasra ("what a pity"), ya latif ("my God!"). Repeated, ya... ya marks the alternative: ya hadi ya hadik ("either this one or that one"). Before a noun with the article, the article is kept: ya lgamers.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ya” but also “yaa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “ya” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “vocative particle”; “either… or”: ya in Moroccan.

In Tunisian Derja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “O (vocative particle)”; “either… or…”: ya in Tunisian.