chwiya شوية
Algerian Darja · adverb
“chwiya” (شوية) is an adverb in Algerian Darja meaning a little, a bit of.
Meanings
- a little, a bit of
- slowly, gently
- a moment, an instant
Usage
Chwiya is the usual word for "a little". It is used alone after a verb ("ta3bt chwiya", I'm a bit tired) or before a noun ("chwiya ma", a little water). It can be softened with "ghir chwiya" (just a little). Doubled, it forms "chwiya b chwiya" (little by little). It is also used to ask someone to slow down: "chwiya 3lik !" (easy!). It belongs to all registers, from casual conversation to polite usage. There is no plural form to learn.
Example
عطيني شوية ماء
a3tini chwiya ma
“Give me a little water.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chwiya” but also “chwia”, “chouiya”, “shwiya”, “chwiy” and “chwya”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find شوية and شوي and شويا, all the same word.
Type “chwiya” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “a little”; “some, a small amount of”: chwiya in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “a little, a bit”; “a moment, a while”: chwaya in Tunisian.