mwa3in مواعين
Algerian Darja · noun
“mwa3in” (مواعين) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning dishes, kitchenware.
Meanings
- dishes, kitchenware
- containers, utensils in general
Usage
Mwa3in is the plural of ma3oun and refers to all the dishes and kitchen utensils: plates, pots, serving dishes. It is an everyday word, used in all registers. The most common expression is ghsel lmwa3in, "to do the dishes". It is also found in a broader sense of containers or utensils. Note: the word behaves as a plural. You say lmwa3in ma9dhoumin ("the dishes are dirty") with plural agreement.
Example
روحي اغسلي المواعين
rouhi ghesli lmwa3in
“Go and wash the dishes.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mwa3in” but also “mwa3een”, “mawa3in” and “mw3een”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.