شوية
shwayyaeveryday, Egypt
In Egyptian Arabic, "a little bit" is شوية (shwayya). To say a small piece of something, use حتة صغيرة (hetta soghayyara).
Meaning: a small amount (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Egyptian | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| شوية | shwayya | everyday, Egypt |
| حتة صغيرة | hetta soghayyara | casual |
Put شوية before the thing you want: شوية سكر (shwayyet sukkar) is "a little sugar". It also works alone as an answer to "how much".
Which one should you use?
Standard Arabic says قليل (qalil), but in Egypt شوية is the normal word in daily speech.
Did you know?
- شوية (shwayya) also means "a while" in time, so استنى شوية (estanna shwayya) can mean "wait a moment".
Examples in context
- عايز شوية ميّةayez shwayyet mayaI want a little water.
- استنى شويةestanna shwayyaWait a little bit.
- أنا عارف شوية عربيana aref shwayyet arabiI know a little Arabic.
Example conversation
Dina and her friend Salma cook together in Dina's kitchen in Giza.
- Dinaتحبي سكر في الشاي؟tehebbi sukkar fel-shayDo you want sugar in your tea?
- Salmaآه، شوية بسah, shwayya bassYes, just a little.
- Dinaماشي، استني شويةmashi, estanni shwayyaOkay, wait a little.
