hawa هاوا
Tunisian Derja · particle
“hawa” (هاوا) is a particle in Tunisian Derja meaning here is, there it is.
Meanings
- here is, there it is
- now, look (introducing a fact)
Usage
Hawa is a very frequent presentative particle in speech. It draws attention to something or a situation at hand, like "there it is" or "look" in English. It often takes suffix pronouns: hawni (here I am), hawk (there you are), hawh (there he is), hawhom (there they are). At the start of a sentence, it introduces a new or ongoing fact: hawa jew, "there they are, they've arrived". The short form haw also occurs. It is often used to resume a story or to point something out. Do not confuse it with hawa, "air", or hawa, "passion".
Example
هاوا جا الكار، يزّينا مالستنّا.
hawa ja el car, yezzina mel stenna.
“There's the bus coming, enough waiting.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hawa” but also “hawwa”, “haw”, “hewa” and “hawaa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.