ngoulou نقولوا
Moroccan Darija · verb
“ngoulou” (نقولوا) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning we say, (that) we say.
Meanings
- we say, (that) we say
Usage
Ngoulou is the first person plural, imperfect, of the verb gal ("to say"). It means "we say" or "that we say". Like the singular ngoul, it is often used after another verb or a particle: khassna ngoulou ("we must say"), chno ngoulou? ("what do we say?"). The habitual present is formed with ka- or ta-: kangoulou. In the north of the country, the variant n9oulou is also heard. The object pronoun is attached at the end: ngoulou lih, "we tell him".
Example
شنو نقولو ليه؟
chno ngoulou lih?
“What do we say to him?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ngoulou” but also “n9oulou” and “ngolou”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “ngoulou” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “we say”; “let's say, shall we say”: nqoulou in Algerian.