chwaya شوية
Tunisian Derja · adverb
“chwaya” (شوية) is an adverb in Tunisian Derja meaning a little, a bit.
Meanings
- a little, a bit
- a moment, a while
- some, a little of
Usage
Chwaya is the usual equivalent of "a little". It comes after a verb (terte7 chwaya, "rest a little") or before a noun (chwaya mé, "a little water"). It also expresses a short duration: stanna chwaya, "wait a moment". Doubled, chwaya chwaya means "slowly, little by little". Mouch chwaya, "not just a little", conversely marks intensity. The usual opposite is barcha, "a lot". The form chwayet is used before a definite noun or in a construct phrase: chwayet flous, "a little money". The word belongs to all registers.
Example
تحط شويّة حشو
t7ot chweya 7achw
“You put in a little stuffing.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chwaya” but also “chwayya”, “chweya”, “chwiya”, “chouya” and “chweyet”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find شوية and شوي and شويا, all the same word.
Type “chwaya” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “a little”; “some, a small amount of”: chwiya in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “a little, a bit of”; “slowly, gently”: chwiya in Algerian.