doka دوكا
Algerian Darja · adverb
“doka” (دوكا) is an adverb in Algerian Darja meaning now.
Meanings
- now
- right away
- nowadays
Usage
Doka means now. The word is typical of Algiers and the center of the country; elsewhere you are more likely to hear dorka or derwek. It can mark the present moment (rani jay doka, I'm coming now), urgency (arwah doka, come right now), or the present era as opposed to the past: doka welat... (nowadays it has become...). It is sometimes reinforced as doka doka, meaning immediately. The register is informal and spoken. It is very frequent on social media.
Example
أرواح دوكا، راهم يستناو فيك
arwah doka, rahoum yestennaw fik
“Come now, they're waiting for you.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “doka” but also “douka”, “dowka” and “dok”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.