# All dialects: زوج (two, couple)



## chipulukusu

Hello, I've noticed that in Morocco people say زوج instead of اثنان for the cardinal number two, and I've recently discovered that زوج in MSA has a number of other meanings, among which there are _couple, set of two things, _etc.

I would like to know if زوج in Moroccan dialect is only used for the cardinal number or if it also used with other meanings as in MSA, and if زوج for _two_ is also used in other North African Countries, please.

Thank you, and sorry for asking two questions in the same post


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## Hemza

Hello,

Yes, this word is also used for "couple" and for "marriage" (beside "عرس") but pronounced "زواج". It's sometimes pronounced "جوج" by some Moroccans and it's also used by Mauritanians, Algerians and Tunisians (although, Algerians pronounce it "دزودج" and some Tunisians "زوز" ). I don't know about Libya and I know it's not used in Egypt, Sudan nor Chad with this meaning.


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## Marruecos14

Hello ! Actually, in Morocco, we use "jouj" or "zouj" only to say "two"!
"Wedding" is rather "3erss".
Marriage = jwaj or zwaj (pretty rarely used). 
We don't use "zawj" for couple. We rather say "l3erssan". 
In Tripoli and Western Libya, "zouz" (two) is very common too !


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## chipulukusu

Thank you for these valuable informations Hemza and Marruecos! I use to pronounce جوج myself, it comes more natural to me .
 I wish some day I'll learn enough of this beautiful language!


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## cherine

Hemza said:


> I know it's not used in Egypt


Actually, some Egyptians use it, but pronounce it gooz جوز .


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## Hemza

cherine said:


> Actually, some Egyptians use it, but pronounce it gooz جوز .



Oh, that was unexpected . Thank you for the information. Those Egyptians shouldn't use it in Morocco, because "جوز" (pronounced "gooz" as well) means "nut"


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## Marruecos14

Exactly, "gouz" or "guerga3" (more common) mean "nuts"!


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## Hemza

Marruecos14 said:


> Exactly, "gouz" or "guerga3" (more common) mean "nuts"!



First time I see the other one lol.


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## Marruecos14

However, it's more commun than "gouz". The latter is only used in Fes.


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## tounsi51

Yes in Tunisia we say زوز and sometimes زوايز

But for the dual we use both  زوز  and normal dual in -تين and also we use كعبتين for 2 pieces of .... 

example: 2 pieces of tomatoe كعبتين طماطم


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## cherine

Hemza said:


> Oh, that was unexpected . Thank you for the information. Those Egyptians shouldn't use it in Morocco, because "جوز" (pronounced "gooz" as well) means "nut"



We use gooz for عين الجمل (walnut). But the context -as always- tells which meaning is intended.


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## Marruecos14

tounsi51 said:


> Yes in Tunisia we say زوز and sometimes زوايز
> 
> But for the dual we use both  زوز  and normal dual in -تين and also we use كعبتين for 2 pieces of ....
> 
> example: 2 pieces of tomatoe كعبتين طماطم



Yes, we do use "jouiej" too


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## Zoghbi

> although, Algerians pronounce it "دزودج"



 Never heard something like that (dzoudedj ?!), we prononce it "zoudj" that all.


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## Hemza

Zoghbi said:


> Never heard something like that (dzoudedj ?!), we prononce it "zoudj" that all.



Sorry, I add one more "د" which shouldn't be here . I meant "*زودج*" (zoudj) as Algerians pronounce it . I know it's not written with a "د" but it was to brighten up your pronunciation .


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## chipulukusu

Hemza said:


> Sorry, I add one more "د" which shouldn't be here . I meant "*زودج*" (zoudj) as Algerians pronounce it . I know it's not written with a "د" but it was to brighten up your pronunciation .



Hi Hemza, I understood that putting a "د" was a way to show the actual pronunciation of the word...  But is this a sound which is in the middle between the French _"j" _of the standard ج and the hard _g _of the Egyptian or Sudanese ج ?


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## Hemza

chipulukusu said:


> Hi Hemza, I understood that putting a "د" was a way to show the actual pronunciation of the word...  But is this a sound which is in the middle between the French _"j" _of the standard ج and the hard _g _of the Egyptian or Sudanese ج ?



It's like the English "J" (not the French one) like in the name "John" .


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## chipulukusu

Hemza said:


> It's like the English "J" (not the French one) like in the name "John" .



Thank you very much, I got it now!


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## analeeh

in Syrian zōj is used for 'husband'. Like other dialects there's a weird form with strangeness in the consonants, jōze, but this is only used for the wife as far as I'm aware (I got laughs when saying jōz because of the homophony with 'nuts'); this has some derived forms like jiize 'marriage'.

I don't actually know if it's used for 'couple' anymore, even in MSA, because it seems that the original meaning of zawj in this sense got reinterpreted to mean 'husband' (and a feminine form innovated), though maybe it's still used in this sense occasionally.


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## Hemza

analeeh said:


> in Syrian zōj is used for 'husband'. Like other dialects there's a weird form with strangeness in the consonants, jōze.



I don't think it's the case in Arabian dialects (at least, Hijazi/Najdi). We do say "zawj" for "husband"  and not "jawz" or "gawz" like Syrian or Egyptian.


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## Marruecos14

Hemza said:


> I don't think it's the case in Arabian dialects (at least, Hijazi/Najdi). We do say "zawj" for "husband"  and not "jawz" or "gawz" like Syrian or Egyptian.



Hello ! In Morocco, we don't use "zawj" nor "zouj" for husband. We only use "rajel"... For instance, "rajel khti" (my brother-in-law, my sister's husband)...


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## Hemza

Marruecos14 said:


> Hello ! In Morocco, we don't use "zawj" nor "zouj" for husband. We only use "rajel"... For instance, "rajel khti" (my brother-in-law, my sister's husband)...



True, but I was talking about Arabian peninsula's dialects .


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## Marruecos14

Hemza said:


> True, but I was talking about Arabian peninsula's dialects .



I got it! I just wanted to give the Moroccan's version  Hope you are fine !


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## Hemza

I read that in Damas, the traditional speech pronounces زوج as زوز (like Eastern Algerians, Tunisians, Libyans and Western Egyptians).


cherine said:


> Actually, some Egyptians use it, but pronounce it gooz جوز .


I just heard in an old Egyptian film جوز جنيه. I'm sure it is a shift of زوج.


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## WadiH

Marruecos14 said:


> Hello ! In Morocco, we don't use "zawj" nor "zouj" for husband. We only use "rajel"... For instance, "rajel khti" (my brother-in-law, my sister's husband)...



In the Najdi dialect it is traditionally the same as what you’ve described.


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## HoopoeOfHope

Hemza said:


> I don't think it's the case in Arabian dialects (at least, Hijazi/Najdi). We do say "zawj" for "husband"  and not "jawz" or "gawz" like Syrian or Egyptian.


I know this is incredibly late, but we do say جوز in the Najdi dialects. We also say رجل as in رجل أختي.


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## Schem

WadiH said:


> In the Najdi dialect it is traditionally the same as what you’ve described.



Both رجل rajel and زوج zōj are traditionally used in Gassim at least. Same with مرة mereh and زوجة zōjeh.


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## WadiH

Yes زوج and زوجة are known and used, but رجل and مرة/حرمة were the common words.

I don't remember if I ever heard جوز or جوزة, but the verb in (old) Najdi was يتجوّز not يتزوّج (also يجوّز to 'marry off' or marry someone to someone else).  I mentioned before that a girl or woman that is eligible for marriage was called مِجْوِز.


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