7awes حوس
Tunisian Derja · verb
“7awes” (حوس) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to stroll, go for a walk.
Meanings
- to stroll, go for a walk
- to look for (with 3la)
- to try to
Usage
7awwes is a very common verb meaning "to wander around, to go for a walk", with no particular aim: in town, at the souk, by car. You say "n7awwes chwaya" for "I'm going to take a little stroll". Constructed with 3la, it means "to look for": "7awwes 3la el mfeta7" (look for the key). Followed by another verb, it means "to try to": "7awwes tefhem" (try to understand). The register is informal and everyday. Note: it is not simply "to walk". The idea of wandering or searching is always present.
Example
ممبعد العشاء نخرجو نحوسو شوية في البلاد
mba3d el 3cha nokhorjou n7awsou chwaya fel blad
“After dinner, we go out for a little stroll around town.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7awes” but also “7awess”, “7awwes”, “hawes” and “7aws”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.
Type “7awes” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to wander, stroll around”; “to search around for something”: 7ewwes in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to look for, search”; “to look around, inquire”: hawes in Algerian.