nwwer نوّر
Moroccan Darija · verb
“nwwer” (نوّر) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to light up, illuminate.
Meanings
- to light up, illuminate
- to honor with one's presence (greeting)
- to blossom (tree, plant)
Usage
Nwwer (imperfective ynwwer) means "to light up, to illuminate", both literally and figuratively. It is very common in polite formulas: "nwwrti d-dar" (you have lit up the house) welcomes a guest, and the reply is "mnwwra bik" (it is lit up thanks to you). Said of a tree, nwwer means "to blossom", linked to nwwar (flowers). Do not confuse it with the noun nour (light), found in "sbah n-nour" (the reply to "sbah l-khir"). The word nour is also used as a term of endearment: "nti nour 3iniya".
Example
هاد اللامبة كتنوّر مزيان
had lamba katnwwer mzyan
“This lamp gives good light.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kannwwr | nwwrt | |
| nta (you, m.) | katnwwr | nwwrti | nwwr |
| nti (you, f.) | katnwwri | nwwrti | nwwri |
| howa (he) | kaynwwr | nwwr | |
| hiya (she) | katnwwr | nwwrat | |
| 7na (we) | kannwwro | nwwrna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katnwwro | nwwrto | nwwro |
| homa (they) | kaynwwro | nwwro |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “nwwer” but also “nwwar”, “nawwar”, “nouwer”, “nwwr” and “nour”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “nwwer” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to light up, illuminate”; “to blossom (trees)”: nawwar in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “light, brightness”; “radiance, glow of the face”: nour in Tunisian.