hawali حوالي
Tunisian Derja · adverb
“hawali” (حوالي) is an adverb in Tunisian Derja meaning about, approximately.
Meanings
- about, approximately
Usage
Hawali goes before a number or quantity to indicate an approximation: hawali miya dinar, "about a hundred dinars". The word comes from standard Arabic. It is heard a lot in the news, in speeches and in writing. In everyday conversation, Tunisians also use ta9riban or a construction with fi: fi 3ochra, "around ten o'clock". Hawali is understood by everyone and passes without problem in speech. It is invariable. Note: it does not mean "around" in the spatial sense, which is rather expressed with dour bi or mel jiha.
Example
جاو حوالي عشرين واحد للعرس.
jew hawali 3echrin we7ed lel 3ers.
“About twenty people came to the wedding.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hawali” but also “7awali”, “haweli” and “7aweli”. 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.