7na حنا
Moroccan Darija · pronoun
“7na” (حنا) is a pronoun in Moroccan Darija meaning we (subject pronoun).
Meanings
- we (subject pronoun)
Usage
Hna is the independent first-person plural pronoun: "we". There is no verb "to be" in the present tense: one says hna hna for "we are here". It is also used to stress the subject, with an already conjugated verb: hna ma-kan-qbluch "we, we don't accept". The variant hnaya also exists. The pronoun is often combined with li for emphasis: hna li... "it's we who...". Note: the corresponding possessive suffix is -na (darna "our house").
Example
حنا ف أمان!
7na f 2aman!
“We are safe!”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kan7ni | 7nit | |
| nta (you, m.) | kat7ni | 7niti | 7ni |
| nti (you, f.) | kat7ni | 7niti | 7ni |
| howa (he) | kay7ni | 7na | |
| hiya (she) | kat7ni | 7naat | |
| 7na (we) | kan7niw | 7nina | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | kat7niw | 7nito | 7niw |
| homa (they) | kay7niw | 7nao |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7na” but also “hna” and “7naya”. 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 “7na” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “we, us”: 7na in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
The same word also exists in Tunisian Derja, written احنا, where it means “we, us”: a7na in Tunisian.