3lach علاش
Moroccan Darija · adverb
“3lach” (علاش) is an adverb in Moroccan Darija meaning why.
Meanings
- why
- on what, about what
Usage
3lach is the common interrogative for "why". It comes from 3la, "on", and ach, "what". It is generally placed at the start of the sentence: 3lach ma jitich ?, "why didn't you come?". The phrase 3lach la means "why not". The expected answer begins with 7it or 7itach, "because". In some contexts, 3lach keeps its literal meaning of "on what" or "about what": 3lach kat9elleb ?, "what are you looking for?". Online, it is written with many variants: 3lach, 3lash, 3lax.
Example
و علاش لا ?
ou 3lach la ?
“And why not?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3lach” but also “3lash”, “3lax”, “aalach” and “3lache”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.
Type “3lach” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “why (question)”; “that's why, this is why”: 3lach in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “why”; “for (having done), after 'regret'”: 3lech in Tunisian.