sewwel سول
Algerian Darja · verb
“sewwel” (سول) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning to ask a question.
Meanings
- to ask a question
- to ask after someone
- to request
Usage
Sewwel (ysewwel) means to ask, to question. It takes a direct object for the person being asked: "sewwel khouk", ask your brother. With 3la, it concerns the thing or person being inquired about: "sewwel 3lih", find out about him, or ask how he is. It is very widespread, alongside saqsa, which has the same meaning. It competes with demanda, borrowed from French, for the sense of asking for something. The register is everyday. The form sawel, found online, often corresponds to the imperative or to a regional pronunciation.
Example
روح سوّل عليه في الحانوت.
rouh sewwel 3lih fel hanout.
“Go ask about him at the shop.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sewwel” but also “sawel”, “saoual”, “sowel”, “sawwel” and “sawèl”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “sewwel” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to ask, pose a question”; “to ask after someone”: swwel in Moroccan.