wejjeh وجّه
Moroccan Darija · verb
“wejjeh” (وجّه) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to direct, steer toward.
Meanings
- to direct, steer toward
- to address (words, a request)
- to turn toward, face
Usage
Wejjeh, with a doubled consonant, means "to direct someone or something toward": wejjeh lmrid l sbitar, wejjeh rasek l… It is also used for words addressed to someone: wejjeh lih lkelma. The register is rather formal or administrative; tewjih refers to school guidance. Do not confuse it with the noun wjeh (without doubling), "face", which is very common: 3ndo wjeh zwin, and expressions like wjeh lkhir or ma 3ndouch lwjeh ("he has no shame"). The Arabic spelling is identical apart from the vowels, hence the frequent confusion between the two words.
Example
وجّهو المريض للسبيطار
wejjhou lmrid l sbitar
“They directed the patient to the hospital.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kanwjje8 | wjje8t | |
| nta (you, m.) | katwjje8 | wjje8ti | wjje8 |
| nti (you, f.) | katwjj8i | wjje8ti | wjj8i |
| howa (he) | kaywjje8 | wjje8 | |
| hiya (she) | katwjje8 | wjj8at | |
| 7na (we) | kanwjj8o | wjj8na | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katwjj8o | wjj8to | wjj8o |
| homa (they) | kaywjj8o | wjj8o |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “wejjeh” but also “wjjeh”, “wajjah”, “wjje8”, “wejjah” and “wjh”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 8 is light ha (ه) or ghayn (غ), depending on the writer.
Type “wejjeh” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to direct, guide someone”; “to turn towards, address”: wejjah in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “face”; “look, expression, appearance”: wejh in Tunisian.