Words that are used twice is not something you would think is common however, I was listening to a conversation the other day and heard a phrase I haven’t heard in a long time. The phrase was ‘so-so’. For those of you who haven’t heard this expression before, it means neither good or bad. These type of words that are used twice had me thinking are there words in Darija that are said twice. Well the answer is yes. I have found a few words that are used twice. Here are some of these words with their translation.
| Darija | English |
| Ya Nari Ya Nari (sometimes used as Nari Nari) | My Goodness |
| Za3ma Za3ma | Really |
| Da9a Da9a | Step by Step |
| Kif Kif | Like |
| bhal bhal | same |
| Dghia Dghia | Quickly |
| 9ad 9ad | the same or equal (size, age, or rank) |
| daba daba | right now! |
Most of these words have an emphasized meaning when used twice. For example the word ‘Daba’ means now but when said twice gives an emphasized meaning. For the expression Ya Nari Ya Nari (or Nari Nari), I could not find a definition for the word Nari. I should point out as well, the expression Ya Nari Ya Nari can also be expressed if you stretch the word Nari as Naaaaaaaari. As silly as it sounds this is used in conversation.
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I saw online that the word nas nas means coffee with milk. I’ll try to confirm with my wife.