ga3 ڭاع
Moroccan Darija · adverb
“ga3” (ڭاع) is an adverb in Moroccan Darija meaning all, every, the whole of.
Meanings
- all, every, the whole of
- at all, never (with negation)
- exactly, then (in a question)
Usage
Ga3 is one of the most frequent words in darija. Placed before a noun, it means "all, every": ga3 nnas (everyone), ga3 lwlad (all the children). With a negation, it strengthens the refusal: ma bghitch ga3 (I don't want it at all), ma mchitch ga3 (I've never been there). At the end of a question, it marks insistence or irritation, like "exactly" or "then": chkoun nta ga3? (who are you, exactly?). One also says ga3 ma (at no time). The register is common and informal. Note that the meaning depends on the position in the sentence and on the negative or interrogative context.
Example
ڭاع سلعة غرقات
ga3 sel3a ghr9at
“All the goods sank.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ga3” but also “gaa3”, “ga3a”, “gaa” and “ka3”. 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.