hdoud حدود
Algerian Darja · noun
“hdoud” (حدود) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning border (between countries).
Meanings
- border (between countries)
- limits
Usage
Hdoud, or lehdoud with the article, is the plural of hadd. It refers first of all to the border between two countries: rah fel hdoud (he is at the border), lehdoud m'sakra (the border is closed). Figuratively, it means the limits one must not cross, as in English: kayen hdoud (there are limits). The expression bla hdoud means "without limits". It is known as a show title, which explains why it is frequent in online comments. English speakers should note that Darja mostly uses the plural, even to speak of a single border.
Example
خويا يخدم في الحدود
khouya ykhdem fel hdoud
“My brother works at the border.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hdoud” but also “hudud” and “7doud”. 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 “hdoud” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “border(s)”; “limits”: 7dud in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “borders (of a country)”; “limits”: 7doud in Tunisian.