wa7la وحلة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“wa7la” (وحلة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning mess, inextricable situation.
Meanings
- mess, inextricable situation
- trouble, jam one can't escape
Usage
Wa7la (the "7" marks the guttural h) is very common in derja for a difficult situation one cannot get out of. Literally, the word evokes the idea of getting stuck in mud. It is used with verbs of motion: "tla7t fi wa7la" or "7asselt fi wa7la" (I got myself into a mess), and "khrajt mel wa7la" (I got out of it). It also appears in curses: "Allah la tkhallaslek wa7la" (may you never get out of your troubles). The register is colloquial and expressive, but not vulgar.
Example
طحت في وحلة ما نعرفش كيفاش نخرج منها.
t7att fi wa7la ma na3rafch kifech nokhrej menha.
“I've fallen into a mess and I don't know how to get out of it.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “wa7la” but also “wahla” and “wehla”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.
Type “wa7la” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “predicament, tough spot”; “getting bogged down”: w7la in Moroccan.