والله
wallah
The English phrase "on God" can be translated into Arabic as والله (wallah).
والله is used to emphasize that one is telling the truth or to express strong agreement. It serves both as a serious oath to prove truthfulness and as a casual filler used to add emphasis to a statement.
What does it mean word for word?
The expression consists of the particle و (wa), which means "and" or "by" in the context of an oath and the word الله (Allah), which means "God".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
والله is an informal expression. While it is used in many contexts, using it as a casual slang intensifier is common in everyday spoken Arabic.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egypt, the expression والله is used to mean "I swear by God".
How do you pronounce it?
wallah
Did you know?
- While والله is used by millions of Arabic speakers, it has been adopted as a slang loanword in French and English youth dialects in cities like Paris and London.
- In some traditional contexts, taking an oath with والله is considered a binding spiritual contract, and breaking such a promise may require a specific act of penance called 'kaffarah'.
- Depending on the intonation, والله can be used as a question to express disbelief or skepticism, similar to saying 'Really?' or 'Are you serious?' in English.
Examples in context
- والله، أنا صادق.Wallah, ana sadiq.On god, I am telling the truth.
- والله، هذا جميل جداً.Wallah, hadha jamil jiddan.On god, this is very beautiful.
- والله، لا أعرف.Wallah, la a'rif.On god, I don't know.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing how difficult a test was.
- زياد Ziadكان الامتحان صعب جداً اليوم يا مريم.Kan al-imtihan sa'b jiddan al-yawm ya Maryam.The exam was very difficult today, Maryam.
- مريم Maryamوالله، ما عرفت أحل نصف الأسئلة.Wallahi, ma araft ahull nuss al-as'ila.On god, I couldn't solve half of the questions.
- زياد Ziadأعتقد أن الجميع واجهوا نفس المشكلة.A'taqid anna al-jami' wajahu nafs al-mushkila.I think everyone faced the same problem.
- مريم Maryamأتمنى أن تكون الدرجات منخفضة للكل.Atamanna an takun al-darajat munkhafida lil-kull.I hope the grades are low for everyone.
