l3cha لعشا
Moroccan Darija · noun
“l3cha” (لعشا) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning dinner, evening meal.
Meanings
- dinner, evening meal
- night prayer (isha)
- nightfall
Usage
In everyday use, l3cha means dinner first of all. People ask ach kayn l3cha? to find out what is for dinner tonight, and say 7et l3cha for "to serve dinner". The corresponding verb is t3echa, "to have dinner". The word also refers to the last prayer of the day, often specified as salat l3cha, and by extension to the time when it takes place: mn ba3d l3cha means "after the evening prayer", hence "late in the evening". Context generally makes it clear whether the meal or the prayer is meant.
Example
أش دايرين لعشا?
ach dayrin l3cha?
“What are you making for dinner?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “l3cha” but also “le3cha”, “l3sha” and “laacha”. 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.