wach واش
Moroccan Darija · particle
“wach” (واش) is a particle in Moroccan Darija meaning question particle (yes/no).
Meanings
- question particle (yes/no)
- whether, if (indirect question)
Usage
Wach introduces a question answered by yes or no, like "is it that" or "do/are...?": wach nta mrid ? "are you sick?". It also introduces an indirect question: ma 3reftch wach ja "I don't know whether he came". The expression wach b sse7 ? means "really?". It is not used to ask "what": for that, use ach or chnou. This is a trap for anyone who knows Algerian, where wach precisely means "what". In speech, intonation is sometimes enough and wach can be omitted.
Example
واش سايم ?
wach saym ?
“Are you fasting?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “wach” but also “wash”, “wax”, “wache” and “wesh”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “wach” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “what”; “is it that (yes/no question)”: wach in Algerian.