b7al walou بحال والو
Moroccan Darija · expression
“b7al walou” (بحال والو) is an expression in Moroccan Darija meaning as if nothing had happened.
Meanings
- as if nothing had happened
- like nothing at all, trivial
Usage
B7al walou combines b7al ("like") and walou ("nothing"). The most common construction is dar b7al walou, "he acted as if nothing had happened". It describes someone who feigns indifference or ignores what has just happened. The expression can also stress that something seems easy or insignificant: 3ndo b7al walou, "for him, it's like nothing". It belongs to the informal, everyday register. It often carries a nuance of reproach when speaking of someone who deliberately ignores a problem.
Example
دار بحال والو ومشى
dar b7al walou w mcha
“He acted as if nothing had happened and left.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “b7al walou” but also “bhal walou”, “b7al walo” and “b7al walu”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.