wst nhar وسط نهار
Moroccan Darija · expression
“wst nhar” (وسط نهار) is an expression in Moroccan Darija meaning middle of the day, midday.
Meanings
- middle of the day, midday
Usage
Wsst nhar literally means "the middle of the day" and refers to the midday period, around the meal and the hottest hours. It is mainly used with the preposition f: f wsst nhar, "at midday". It is not an exact time. For a precise time, people usually say "tnach" (exactly twelve o'clock). The expression contrasts with sbah (the morning) and l'3chiya (the afternoon, the end of the day). Pitfall: wsst (middle) is pronounced with an emphatic s, and the expression is fixed; one does not say "nhar l-wsst".
Example
غادي نتغدّاو فوسط نهار
ghadi ntghddaw f wsst nhar
“We're going to have lunch at midday.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “wst nhar” but also “wsst nhar” and “west nhar”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.