walakin و لكن
Moroccan Darija · conjunction
“walakin” (و لكن) is a conjunction in Moroccan Darija meaning but.
Meanings
- but
- however, yet
Usage
Walakin introduces an opposition or a restriction, like "but" in English. It is heard everywhere, in speech as well as in online writing. There are more colloquial variants: walayni, walakin with a pronoun (walakinni, "but I"), or the short form wa. At the start of a sentence, it can also mark an objection: "walakin chkoun gal lik?" ("but who told you that?"). It is often written as one word, although the separate spelling "w lakin" is also found. Not to be confused with walo ("nothing").
Example
بغيت نجي ولكن ماعنديش الوقت
bghit nji walakin ma3endich lwe9t
“I wanted to come, but I don't have time.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, it is written “walakin”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.