شوية
shwiya
In Moroccan Arabic, also called Darija, 'a little' is شوية (shwiya).
شوية describes a small amount of anything, as in بغيت شوية ديال السكر, 'I want a little sugar', or تسنى شوية, 'wait a little'.
Meaning: a little, some (adv)
What does it mean word for word?
شوية has no clear Standard Arabic equivalent and functions as a native Darija word for a small quantity or a short time.
Which one should you use?
شوية works for both amount, 'a little sugar', and time, 'wait a little', without changing form.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
شوية is used at every level of casual speech.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The word is shared across Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia as one of the most common everyday Maghrebi words.
How does it change in a sentence?
Repeating it, شوية شوية, means 'little by little' or 'gradually', as in كبر شوية شوية, 'he grew up little by little'.
How do you pronounce it?
The stress falls on the first syllable: SHWI-ya.
What mistakes should you avoid?
شوية describes small amount, not small size. For a physically small thing, Moroccans use صغير (sghir) instead.
Did you know?
- شوية doubles as both 'a little amount' and 'a short while', so the same word fits sugar in tea and a short wait.
- Repeating شوية شوية to mean 'gradually' or 'little by little' is a common pattern in Darija, doubling a word to stretch its meaning over time.
Examples in context
- بغيت شوية ديال السكر فالقهوة.bghit shwiya dyal sukkar f lqahwa.I want a little sugar in the coffee.
- تسنى شوية، غادي نجي دابا.tsenna shwiya, ghadi nji daba.Wait a little, I'm coming now.
- تعلم اللغة شوية شوية.t3allem llugha shwiya shwiya.He learned the language little by little.
Example conversation
A waiter, Younes, asks a customer, Hind, how much sugar she wants in her tea.
- Younesشحال ديال السكر بغيتي فالأتاي؟shhal dyal sukkar bghiti f latay?How much sugar do you want in the tea?
- Hindغير شوية، ماشي بزاف.ghir shwiya, mashi bzzaf.Just a little, not a lot.
- Younesواخا، شوية غير كيف بغيتي.wakha, shwiya ghir kif bghiti.Okay, just a little, as you like.
- Hindشكرا بزاف.shukran bzzaf.Thank you very much.
