ou و
Moroccan Darija · conjunction
“ou” (و) is a conjunction in Moroccan Darija meaning and (coordination).
Meanings
- and (coordination)
- while, whereas
Usage
Basic coordinating conjunction, pronounced w before a vowel and o (or ou) before a consonant. It links nouns, verbs or clauses. It appears in many fixed pairs: "ba3 o chra", "sell and buy", meaning "to trade", or "smen o 3sel", "rancid butter and honey", describing a perfect understanding. Placed before a nominal clause, it often has a circumstantial value: "ja o howa m9elle9", "he came, looking upset". It is also used in telling the time: "o rb3", "and a quarter".
Example
و من جهتك
o mn jihtak
“And on your side…”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ou” but also “w”, “o” and “wa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “ou” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “and (coordination)”; “while, whereas”: ou in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “and (coordination)”; “and (linking a narrative)”: wou in Tunisian.