l7ad لحد
Algerian Darja · noun
“l7ad” (لحد) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning Sunday.
Meanings
- Sunday
- until (as in "l7ad lyoum")
Usage
In darja, l7ad (with the article) mainly means Sunday, usually in the phrase nhar l7ad (the day of Sunday). It is a working day in Algeria: it marks the start of the work week. In a more formal register, influenced by Standard Arabic, l7ad is also used in the sense of "until", in expressions such as l7ad drouk (until now). Everyday speech, however, prefers 7atta or 7atta l. The meaning is given by context: a day of the week, or a limit in time.
Example
نهار الحد نرجع للخدمة
nhar l7ad nerja3 lel khedma
“On Sunday I go back to work.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “l7ad” but also “lhad”, “el7ad”, “l7ed” and “lahad”. 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.