7na حنا
Algerian Darja · pronoun
“7na” (حنا) is a pronoun in Algerian Darja meaning we, us.
Meanings
- we, us
Usage
Independent personal pronoun of the first person plural, used throughout Algeria. It is used to stress the subject, since the verb already carries the person: "hna njiw" (we, we're coming). It can also stand alone: "chkoun ? – hna" (who? – us). Depending on the region, you also hear "ahna" or "hnaya". Spelling pitfall: in arabizi, "hna" can also write "here" (هنا). The spelling "7na", with the digit 7 for the emphatic h, avoids the confusion.
Example
حنا رايحين للبحر غدوا
7na ray7in lbe7r ghodwa
“We're going to the sea tomorrow.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7na” but also “hna”, “a7na”, “ahna” and “7naya”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.
Type “7na” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “we (subject pronoun)”: 7na in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
The same word also exists in Tunisian Derja, written احنا, where it means “we, us”: a7na in Tunisian.