le7dha لحضة
Algerian Darja · noun
“le7dha” (لحضة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning moment, instant.
Meanings
- moment, instant
- moment lived, memorable moment
Usage
Le7dha means a brief moment, an instant. The spelling with ḍ instead of ẓ is very common in writing in Algeria, where the two sounds merge in speech. It is used to ask someone to wait: "stenna le7dha", "wait a moment". It also appears in "3ich le7dha", "live a moment", for a shared or memorable instant, often when commenting on a video or a story. The word is understood everywhere, but in speech people also readily say "chwiya" or "dqiqa" to ask someone to wait. It is feminine: "le7dha wa7da".
Example
ستنا لحضة، راني جاي
stenna le7dha, rani jay
“Wait a moment, I'm coming.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “le7dha” but also “la7dha”, “lahda”, “la7da” and “le7da”. 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 “le7dha” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
The same word also exists in Moroccan Darija, written لحظة, where it means “moment, instant”; “just a moment!”: la7da in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
The same word also exists in Tunisian Derja, written لحظة, where it means “moment, instant”; “just a moment! (asking to wait)”: la7dha in Tunisian.