wa7ed nhar واحد نهار
Algerian Darja · expression
“wa7ed nhar” (واحد نهار) is an expression in Algerian Darja meaning one day, one fine day.
Meanings
- one day, one fine day
Usage
Wa7ed nhar is used at the start of a story to mean "one day, one fine day", as in tales and anecdotes. It can also refer to the future, meaning "one day, sooner or later": wa7ed nhar tefhem. The construction wa7ed + noun without an article is commonly used as an indefinite in darja: wa7ed rajel, "a man". A close variant: nhar men les nhar. Not to be confused with nhar wa7ed, which means "a single day".
Example
واحد نهار رحت للسوق ولقيت صاحبي القديم
wa7ed nhar rou7t lessou9 w l9it sa7bi l9dim
“One day I went to the market and ran into my old friend.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “wa7ed nhar” but also “wahed nhar”, “wa7d nhar”, “wa7ed nahar” and “wahd nhar”. 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 “wa7ed nhar” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “one day, once”; “once upon a time”: wa7ed nhar in Tunisian.