yallah يالله
Algerian Darja · interjection
“yallah” (يالله) is an interjection in Algerian Darja meaning come on, let's go, hurry.
Meanings
- come on, let's go, hurry
- oh God (invocation)
Usage
Yallah is very common in speech. It is used to hurry someone, give the signal to leave, or encourage: yallah nrouhou ("come on, let's go"). In online comments, it also serves as a collective call, meaning "come on, everyone". Written ya Allah, it becomes a religious invocation ("oh God"). Only context tells the two senses apart. The pitfall is to see it only as a sign of impatience: the tone is often friendly and neutral.
Example
يالله نروحو راه الوقت فات
yallah nrouhou rah lwe9t fat
“Come on, let's go, it's late.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “yallah” but also “yalah” and “yala”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “yallah” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “come on, let's go”; “just now, only just”: yallah in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “come on, go ahead, let's go”; “hurry up”: yallah in Tunisian.