7tana حتانا
Algerian Darja · expression
“7tana” (حتانا) is an expression in Algerian Darja meaning me too.
Meanings
- me too
- even me
Usage
Contracted form of hta ("until, even") and ana ("me"), very common in speech and in online writing. It is used to join in with what has just been said ("me too") or to add emphasis ("even me"), most often at the start of a sentence. The same construction exists with the other pronouns, for example hta nta ("you too") or hta huma ("them too"). Pitfall: 7tana is not a standalone word but two fused elements, often written separately (hta ana). To say simply "me too", you also hear ana tani.
Example
حتانا نحب الكسكسي بزاف
7tana n7eb el kesksi bezzaf
“Me too, I really love couscous.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7tana” but also “htana”. 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.