Learn Arabic › B2 › تَوّاً
تَوّاً
immediately /tawˈwan/
adverbB2#3082 most common
Also: right away, at once, just now
Example sentences
وَصَلَ تَوّاً.
He arrived just now.
سَأَذْهَبُ تَوّاً إِلَى الْبَيْتِ.
I will go home right away.
اتَّصَلَ بِي تَوّاً لِيُخْبِرَنِي بِالْخَبَرِ.
He called me just now to tell me the news.
يَجِبُ أَنْ نَتَّخِذَ قَرَاراً تَوّاً قَبْلَ فَوَاتِ الْأَوَانِ.
We must make a decision immediately, before it is too late.
عِنْدَمَا سَمِعَ الْخَبَرَ، غَادَرَ الْمَكَانَ تَوّاً دُونَ أَنْ يَنْطِقَ بِكَلِمَةٍ.
When he heard the news, he left the place at once without saying a word.
لَمْ يَتَرَدَّدْ لَحْظَةً، بَلْ بَادَرَ تَوّاً إِلَى تَنْفِيذِ الْخُطَّةِ رَغْمَ الْمَخَاطِرِ الْمُحْدِقَةِ بِهِ.
He did not hesitate for a moment; instead he moved immediately to carry out the plan despite the dangers surrounding him.
Word family
تَوّinstant, single moment
لِتَوِّهِimmediately, right then
مِن تَوِّهِjust now, a moment ago
أَتْوَاءinstants, moments
Etymology
The word comes from the Arabic noun تَوّ (taww), meaning a single instant or a lone moment. Classical Arabic often turns an indefinite accusative noun into an adverb, and تَوّاً is one such case: the accusative ending -an on taww shifts the noun's sense from 'an instant' to 'in an instant,' hence 'immediately.' This is the same pattern seen in words like أبداً (ever, from a noun meaning eternity) and صباحاً (in the morning).
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