How to say “alive” in Darija
In Moroccan, you say “7ay”; in Algerian, “hay”; in Tunisian, “7ay”, “3ayech” and “3aycha”.
In Moroccan Darija
7ay حيّ
An adjective meaning “alive, living”; “district (in official names)”.
هاد دجاج باقي حي: “This chicken is still alive.”
In Algerian Darja
hay حي
An adjective meaning “alive, living”; “neighborhood, housing estate”.
جدي مازال حي ربي يحفظو: “My grandfather is still alive, may God protect him.”
In Tunisian Derja
7ay حي
An adjective meaning “alive, living”; “neighborhood, district”.
جدّو مازال حي؟: “Is his grandfather still alive?”
3ayech عايش
An adjective meaning “living (somewhere, in some way)”; “alive”.
هاذكم حل الزوالي كيفاه عايش فال فقير ,: “This is how the poor man is doing: see how he lives in poverty.”
3aycha عايشة
An adjective meaning “alive, living”; “living (somewhere, in some way)”.
جدّتي مازالت عايشة في الريف: “My grandmother still lives in the countryside.”