howa هو
Moroccan Darija · pronoun
“howa” (هو) is a pronoun in Moroccan Darija meaning he, him (3rd person masculine).
Meanings
- he, him (3rd person masculine)
- here he/it is (with "ha")
Usage
"Howa" is the independent personal pronoun of the third person masculine singular. Since the verb "to be" does not exist in the present tense, you simply put it before a noun or complement: "howa f darou", "he is at home". It is used for emphasis or to highlight: "howa li dar-ha", "he's the one who did it". With "ha", it forms "ha howa", "here he is". It is not used as an object: you say "chefto", "I saw him". The feminine is "hiya".
Example
هو ف دارو
howa f darou
“He is at home.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “howa” but also “houwa”, “hwa”, “8owa”, “hoa” and “8oa”. 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 “howa” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “he, him (masculine singular pronoun)”; “it is (emphatic copula)”: howa in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “he, him (3rd person masculine singular)”; “it's him (emphasis)”: howa in Tunisian.