dawla دولة
Algerian Darja · noun
“dawla” (دولة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning state, public authorities.
Meanings
- state, public authorities
- country, nation
Usage
Dawla means the state or the public authorities. In everyday speech it refers mainly to the authorities and the administration, that is, "those at the top": ddawla ma darat walou, "the state has done nothing". It is also used for "country", as in dawla 3arabiya, "an Arab country". The plural is douwal. The expression khedma ta3 ddawla means a civil service job, considered stable. The word can carry a critical or ironic nuance depending on the context. Do not confuse it with dola, which means "turn" or "period" in some expressions.
Example
خويا يخدم عند الدولة.
khouya yekhdem 3and ddawla.
“My brother works for the state.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dawla” but also “dowla”, “dawl” and “douwla”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “dawla” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “state, government”; “country”: dawla in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “state, public authority”; “country”: dawla in Tunisian.