a7yanan أحيانا
Moroccan Darija · adverb
“a7yanan” (أحيانا) is an adverb in Moroccan Darija meaning sometimes, from time to time.
Meanings
- sometimes, from time to time
Usage
A7yanan comes from Standard Arabic. It is common in speech in Morocco, especially in a somewhat formal register or among educated people. In more casual speech, merrat, chi merrat or b3d lmerrat are heard more often, with the same meaning. It goes at the start or end of a sentence: a7yanan kanmchi m3ah (sometimes I go with him). The word is invariable. It combines readily with repeated forms, like a7yanan… a7yanan… (sometimes… sometimes…).
Example
أحيانا كنمشي للخدمة على رجليا
a7yanan kanmchi lkhedma 3la rjliya
“Sometimes I walk to work.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “a7yanan” but also “ahyanan”, “a7yanane” and “a7ianan”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.