Moroccan Darija for “but / however”
/wa-la-kin/
ولكن
Bghit nji, walakin ana mshghoul.
I want to come, but I am busy.
Latin Darija has several accepted writing styles. You may see this word written as:
These spellings refer to the same word. In chat writing, 3, 7, and 9 commonly represent ع, ح, and ق. Vowels and sh/ch can also vary. You can search using any spelling listed here.
Say walakin (ولكن) for “but / however” in Moroccan Darija. The pronunciation guide is /wa-la-kin/. It is a conjunction. In a natural conversation, you can say “Bghit nji, walakin ana mshghoul.”, meaning “I want to come, but I am busy.” The French equivalent is mais / cependant.
Had ttomobil zwina, walakin ghalya.
هاد الطوموبيل زوينة، ولكن غالية.
This car is nice, but expensive. · Cette voiture est belle, mais chère.
3yit, walakin khassni nkmmel lkhdma.
عييت، ولكن خاصني نكمل الخدمة.
I'm tired, but I have to finish work. · Je suis fatigué, mais je dois finir le travail.
Kanhdr shwiya d darija, walakin mazal kant3llm.
كنهضر شوية د الدارجة، ولكن مازال كنتعلم.
I speak a little Darija, but I'm still learning. · Je parle un peu la darija, mais j'apprends encore.
The standard Moroccan Darija word for 'but'. Often shortened in rapid speech to 'walkin' or 'lakin'. Speakers who mix French and Darija also use 'mais'.
| English | but / however |
|---|---|
| French | mais / cependant |
| Spanish | pero / sin embargo |
| Italian | ma / però |
| German | aber / jedoch |
| Portuguese | mas / porém |
| Dutch | maar / echter |
| Turkish | ama / fakat |
walakin (ولكن) is a Moroccan Darija word or expression meaning "but / however" in English and "mais / cependant" in French. It is a beginner-level word in the grammar category.
A natural example is “Bghit nji, walakin ana mshghoul.” It means “I want to come, but I am busy.”
Walakin is pronounced /wa-la-kin/. You can listen to the audio pronunciation by clicking the "Listen" button above.
In Arabic script it is written ولكن (with vowel marks: وَلَكِنْ).
The standard Moroccan Darija word for 'but'. Often shortened in rapid speech to 'walkin' or 'lakin'. Speakers who mix French and Darija also use 'mais'.