twikay تويكاي
Tunisian Derja · adverb
“twikay” (تويكاي) is an adverb in Tunisian Derja meaning now, at present.
Meanings
- now, at present
- nowadays
- right away, soon
Usage
Twikay is a lengthened, expressive variant of twa or twika, "now". The -ay ending recalls that of hkikay, a variant of hkeka ("like this"). It belongs to a familiar, spoken register, often perceived as regional. The word can refer to the present moment ("right now"), to the current era as opposed to the past ("nowadays, nowadays people…") or to the near future ("in a little while"). It is often placed at the start of a sentence to introduce an observation. The standard form twa is the most widespread.
Example
تويكاي الدنيا تبدلت، كل واحد يخدم على روحو
twikay eddenya tbaddlet, kol wa7ed yekhdem 3la rou7ou
“Nowadays the world has changed: everyone works for themselves.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “twikay” but also “twikai”, “touikay” and “twika”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.