ch7al fsa3a شحال فالساعة
Moroccan Darija · expression
“ch7al fsa3a” (شحال فالساعة) is an expression in Moroccan Darija meaning what time is it?.
Meanings
- what time is it?
- at what time?
Usage
Ch7al fessa3a is the most common way to ask the time. Literally it means "how much in the hour?". It is used alone, as a direct question, or preceded by 3afak ("please") to address someone politely. Depending on the context, it can also mean "at what time?", for example ch7al fessa3a ghadi tji? ("what time are you going to come?"). In that case, fo2ach or 3la ch7al is more often used. The answer is generally introduced by hadi: hadi tlata ("it's three o'clock").
Example
عافاك، شحال فالساعة؟
3afak, ch7al fessa3a?
“Excuse me, what time is it?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ch7al fsa3a” but also “ch7al fessa3a” and “che7al fessa3a”. 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; 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.