tatawa3 تطوّع
Moroccan Darija · verb
“tatawa3” (تطوّع) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to volunteer, do voluntary work.
Meanings
- to volunteer, do voluntary work
- to offer help spontaneously
Usage
The verb tTowwe3 is used to talk about voluntary commitment, often to an association, in a solidarity campaign or a blood drive. To specify with whom or for what one volunteers, add m3a (with) or l (for): tTowwe3 m3a l-jam3iya (he volunteered with the association). A person who volunteers is called mutaTawwi3 (volunteer). The register is neutral and slightly formal. For a one-off, informal offer of help, it is simpler to say 3erreD yʕawen or bgha y3awen (he wanted to help).
Example
تطوّعت مع واحد الجمعية فرمضان
tTowwe3t m3a wa7ed l-jam3iya f rmDan
“I volunteered with an association during Ramadan.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kantTwwe3 | tTwwe3t | |
| nta (you, m.) | kattTwwe3 | tTwwe3ti | tTwwe3 |
| nti (you, f.) | kattTww3i | tTwwe3ti | tTww3i |
| howa (he) | kaytTwwe3 | tTwwe3 | |
| hiya (she) | kattTwwe3 | tTwwe3at | |
| 7na (we) | kantTww3o | tTwwe3na | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | kattTww3o | tTwwe3to | tTww3o |
| homa (they) | kaytTww3o | tTwwe3o |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tatawa3” but also “tatawwa3”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.