How to say “wait” in Darija
In Moroccan, you say “tsenna” and “stenna”; in Algerian, “rja” and “stenna”; in Tunisian, “stanna”.
In Moroccan Darija
tsenna تسنّا
A verb meaning “to wait”; “to wait for someone or something”.
تسنّا و شوف: “Wait and see.”
stenna استنى
A verb meaning “to wait”; “wait! hold on!”.
استنى شوية، جاي دابا: “Wait a bit, I'm coming now.”
In Algerian Darja
rja رجا
A verb meaning “to wait”; “to hold on, pause briefly”.
رجاني شوية نجي: “Wait for me a bit, I'm coming.”
stenna ستنى
A verb meaning “to wait (imperative: wait)”; “to await something, to hope”.
ستنى شوية، راني جاي: “Wait a bit, I'm coming.”
In Tunisian Derja
stanna ستنى
A verb meaning “to wait (for someone, something)”; “to hope, to expect”.
هاذا النهار اللي ستنّيناه , على خاطره طوّلت قعدتنا في جربة .: “This is the day we waited for; it's because of it that our stay in Djerba grew longer.”