“Wesh”, “Wallah” or even “Moulla”, these are words, taken from the Arabic language, which are increasingly part of the vocabulary of the French. At least that of the youngest, especially those under the age of 25. Indeed, while some of these words are recent, others have been used for several years.
According to Jean Pruvost, the author of “Our ancestors the Arabs, what our language owes them”, Arabic is the third language to which the French vocabulary owes the most words. According to the latter, the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, but also the Mediterranean trade, fed the French vocabulary with these words of Arabic and North African origin.
Culture also represents the gateway of these Arabic words to the French vocabulary. Indeed, in addition to authors of North African or even Algerian origin, who speak in their works of “Bled”, rap, but also social networks, continue to make their words travel to integrate the French vocabulary.
The most used expressions of Arabic origin in the French vocabulary
If these expressions disconcert parents, they are now part of the French language, especially colloquial language. Here are the expressions that come from Arabic the most used by the French. Starting with the term “Khouya”, frequently used with family and friends to mean “my brother”.
“Having the seum” is one of the expressions most used by young people. The word “Seum” means “poison” in Arabic. Thus, the expression belongs to the colloquial register and is synonymous with “being upset/disgusted” or even “being fed up”.
“Balek” which means “to be careful”, is also widely used in informal French. Or the word “Chouia”, used in colloquial language for quantities, which means “a little bit”. Another expression which is added to this list, “Souk” to designate a place where disorder reigns. In Arabic, the word “Souk” means “a market”.
To talk about misery and hardship, some young people in France use the word “Heuss”. Others use the word “Hagra” to refer to “making someone miserable.” They also use the word “Wesh” taken from the Algerian expression “Wech rak? which means “how are you?” “. And to attest to his good faith, these young people swear by “Wallah”.
