achmen أشمن
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“achmen” (أشمن) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning which, what (interrogative).
Meanings
- which, what (interrogative)
- which one
Usage
Achmen is an interrogative determiner placed directly before a noun without an article: achmen loun?, "which color?", achmen nhar?, "which day?". It is invariable, whatever the gender or number of the noun. To say "which one", it is used alone or with wa7ed: achmen wa7ed bghiti?, "which one do you want?". The shortened form chmen is very common in speech. Achmen, which concerns a choice, is often confused with achno, "what". The register is neutral.
Example
أشمن لون عندك
achman loun 3andak
“What color do you have?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “achmen” but also “chmen”, “achmn”, “achman” and “chmn”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.