wou و
Tunisian Derja · conjunction
“wou” (و) is a conjunction in Tunisian Derja meaning and (coordination).
Meanings
- and (coordination)
- and (linking a narrative)
- by (in oaths)
Usage
W is the basic coordinating conjunction. It links nouns, adjectives or clauses, and in speech and writing it often attaches to the following word (wmba3d, "and then"). It is also used at the start of a sentence to link a narrative along, more often than in French. It appears in the fixed oath wallah ("by God") and in many wishes such as sa77a w farha. Depending on the following word, it is pronounced w, ou or we. In arabizi, it is often written attached to the next word.
Example
صحّة و فرحة
Sa7a w farha
“Health and joy.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “wou” but also “w”, “ou”, “wa”, “we” and “o”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “wou” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “and (coordination)”; “while, whereas”: ou in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “and (coordination)”; “while, whereas”: ou in Algerian.