awalan اولا
Algerian Darja · adverb
“awalan” (اولا) is an adverb in Algerian Darja meaning first, firstly.
Meanings
- first, firstly
- above all, as a priority
Usage
Awalan comes from Standard Arabic but is very common in Algeria, in speech and in online comments, to open a list or an argument: awalan… zawja (second)… It also marks a priority: awalan sahtek (your health first). The register is slightly more formal than the colloquial equivalent lowel or fel lowel. It is often used to structure a thank-you or a reply, like "first of all" in English.
Example
أولا نشكرك على المساعدة
awalan nchekrek 3la lmousa3ada
“First of all, I thank you for the help.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “awalan” but also “2awalan”, “awwalan” and “awala”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 2 is hamza (ء), a glottal stop.