khetwa خطوة
Algerian Darja · noun
“khetwa” (خطوة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning step (when walking).
Meanings
- step (when walking)
- step, move, initiative
Usage
Khetwa first means the step, the movement of the foot when walking: "zid khetwa" (take a step forward). In the very common figurative sense, it means a step or initiative in a project: "khetwa mliha" (a good move). The expression "khetwa b khetwa" means "step by step, gradually". The plural is khetwat. The register is neutral, used in speech and writing alike. To congratulate someone on a decision, people readily say "khetwa mbarka" (a blessed step).
Example
نتعلمو خطوة بخطوة.
nt3almou khetwa b khetwa.
“We learn step by step.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khetwa” but also “khatwa”, “5atwa”, “khatoua” and “khetoua”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.
Type “khetwa” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “step (of the foot)”; “step, stage, move”: khotwa in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “step (when walking)”; “step, move, measure”: 5atwa in Tunisian.