homa هوما
Moroccan Darija · pronoun
“homa” (هوما) is a pronoun in Moroccan Darija meaning they (masculine or feminine).
Meanings
- they (masculine or feminine)
- them (emphatic form)
Usage
Homa is the independent personal pronoun of the third person plural. It is used for both masculine and feminine, so it translates both "they" and "them". Since there is no verb "to be" in the present tense, it is placed directly before the predicate: "homa mrad" (they are sick). It is also used for emphasis: "homa li galou" (they are the ones who said it). With a conjugated verb, it can be omitted, since the ending already indicates the person. The short variant "hom" is also found.
Example
هوما غير سحاب
houma ghir s7ab
“They are just friends.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “homa” but also “houma”, “8ouma”, “8oma” and “huma”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 8 is light ha (ه) or ghayn (غ), depending on the writer.
Type “homa” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “they”; “them (emphatic form)”: houma in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “they, them”; “they are (plural copula)”: houma in Tunisian.