nqoul نقول
Algerian Darja · verb
“nqoul” (نقول) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning I say.
Meanings
- I say
- I think, I tell myself
- I mean
Usage
First person singular imperfective of "qal" (to say). In darja, the prefix "n-" marks "I"; "we" is "nqoulou". The verb is used to report one's own words or thoughts: "rani nqoul f rassi" (I tell myself). In conversation, "nqoullek" (I tell you) introduces an explanation, and "wech nqoul" (what can I say) expresses embarrassment. "Ma nqoulch" means "I won't say" or "I'm not saying that". In dialects where q becomes g, one hears "ngoul".
Example
نقولك الصح راني عيان
nqoullek essah rani 3eyyan
“I'll tell you the truth, I'm tired.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “nqoul” but also “ngoul”, “nqol”, “nkoul” and “neqoul”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “nqoul” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “I say, (that) I say”: ngoul in Moroccan.