nwa نوا
Moroccan Darija · verb
“nwa” (نوا) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to intend, plan to do.
Meanings
- to intend, plan to do
- to make the ritual intention
- to form a religious intention
Usage
The verb nwa (imperfect ynwi, "nwit": I intended) expresses a plan or resolution. It is followed directly by another verb in the imperfect: "nwit nsafer" (I decided to travel). In the religious register, it refers to the intention one formulates before prayer, fasting or pilgrimage. The corresponding noun is niya, which also means "good faith, sincerity" ("b niya": without ulterior motive). Note: the word nwa also exists as a collective noun meaning "stones, pits" (of olives, dates). Context tells the two apart.
Example
نويت نمشي للحج هاد العام
nwit nmchi l l7ej had l3am
“I intend to go on pilgrimage this year.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kannwi | nwit | |
| nta (you, m.) | katnwi | nwiti | nwi |
| nti (you, f.) | katnwi | nwiti | nwi |
| howa (he) | kaynwi | nwa | |
| hiya (she) | katnwi | nwat | |
| 7na (we) | kannwiw | nwina | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katnwiw | nwito | nwiw |
| homa (they) | kaynwiw | nwaw |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “nwa” but also “nwit”, “nawa” and “nwi”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find نوا and نوى, all the same word.