howa هو

Algerian Darja · pronoun

“howa” (هو) is a pronoun in Algerian Darja meaning he, him (masculine singular pronoun).

Meanings

1. he, him (masculine singular pronoun)
2. it is (emphatic copula)

Usage

Howa is the independent third-person masculine singular personal pronoun. Its feminine is hiya and its plural is homa. Since there is no verb "to be" in the present, howa often serves as the subject of a nominal sentence: howa mlih, "he is good". It can also pick up and emphasize an element already mentioned, like "it's he who": howa li qalli, "it's he who told me". After a preposition, howa is not used but a suffix: m3ah and not m3a howa. The usual pronunciation is howa or hwa.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “howa” but also “houwa”, “huwa”, “hwa” and “houa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “howa” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “he, him (3rd person masculine)”; “here he/it is (with "ha")”: howa in Moroccan.

In Tunisian Derja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “he, him (3rd person masculine singular)”; “it's him (emphasis)”: howa in Tunisian.