kowwen كوّن
Moroccan Darija · verb
“kowwen” (كوّن) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to train (someone), instruct.
Meanings
- to train (someone), instruct
- to form, set up (a group)
Usage
Kowwen means to train, in the sense of giving training or of forming something. You hear it mostly for education and work: kowwen rasu, "he trained himself". You also hear it for a team, an association or a family. The reflexive form tkowwen means "to be trained, to undergo training". The register is rather formal or administrative, close to Standard Arabic, but the word is common. Pitfall: do not confuse it with kun or kon, the imperative of kan, "to be", as in kun 3la bal, "be careful". The Arabic spelling is almost identical without the shadda.
Example
هاد المدرسة كتكوّن الطلبة مزيان
had lmedrasa katkowwen tolba mzyan
“This school trains students well.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kankowwen | kowwent | |
| nta (you, m.) | katkowwen | kowwenti | kowwen |
| nti (you, f.) | katkowwni | kowwenti | kowwni |
| howa (he) | kaykowwen | kowwen | |
| hiya (she) | katkowwen | kowwnat | |
| 7na (we) | kankowwno | kowwnna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katkowwno | kowwnto | kowwno |
| homa (they) | kaykowwno | kowwno |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “kowwen” but also “kwwen”, “kowwn”, “kwwn”, “kawwen” and “kawn”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “kowwen” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to form, to set up”; “to train someone”: kawwen in Algerian.