How to say “to look for” in Darija
In Moroccan, you say “9elleb” and “fettech”; in Algerian, “y7awess”; in Tunisian, “lawej”.
In Moroccan Darija
9elleb قلّب
A verb meaning “to search, look for”; “to turn over, flip”; “to check, examine”.
سير قلب عليها: “Go and look for her.”
fettech فتش
A verb meaning “to look for, to seek”; “to search (a bag, a person)”.
كنفتش على السوارت ديال الطوموبيل.: “I'm looking for the car keys.”
In Algerian Darja
y7awess يحوس
A verb meaning “to look for (with 3la)”; “to stroll, to wander around”; “to make do with, to take care of”.
راني نحوس على خدمة في العاصمة: “I'm looking for a job in Algiers.”
In Tunisian Derja
lawej لوج
A verb meaning “to look for (something, someone)”; “to rummage”.
نلوّج على مفاتيحي ما لقيتهمش: “I'm looking for my keys, I haven't found them.”