شو
shūeveryday
In Lebanese Arabic "what" is شو (shū). It is short, used constantly and works at the start of nearly every question.
Common questions are شو هيدا؟ (shū haydā?) for "what is this?" and شو اسمك؟ (shū ismak?) for "what is your name?" Alone, شو؟ can mean "what?" or "pardon?"
Meaning: a question word for asking about things (pronoun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
Egyptian Arabic uses إيه (ēh) instead of شو, so شو is a good sign of a Levantine speaker.
Did you know?
- People in Syria, Jordan and Palestine say شو as well, so one word works across the Levant.
Examples in context
- شو اسمك؟shū ismak?What is your name?
- شو قلت؟shū ʔilt?What did you say?
Example conversation
Tarek points at something in a market stall in Beirut.
- Tarekشو هيدا؟shū haydā?What is this?
- Sellerهيدا زعتر، من الجبل.haydā zaʿtar, mn el-jabal.This is za'atar from the mountain.
- Tarekمنيح، شو سعرو؟mnīḥ, shū saʿro?Good, what is its price?
