hadu هدو
Moroccan Darija · pronoun
“hadu” (هدو) is a pronoun in Moroccan Darija meaning these (ones).
Meanings
- these (ones)
- these (before a noun)
Usage
Hadu, often written without an alif, is the plural demonstrative for things near the speaker. It covers both masculine and feminine. Used alone, it means "these (ones)": hadu dyali ("these are mine"). Before a noun, it is followed by the article: hadu nnas ("these people"). For things farther away, hadok ("those") is used. In the singular, one says hada for the masculine and hadi for the feminine. The Arabic spelling without alif can mislead a reader, but the pronunciation remains hadu.
Example
هدو ديالك؟
hadu dyalek?
“Are these yours?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hadu” but also “hadou”, “hado” and “8adou”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 8 is light ha (ه) or ghayn (غ), depending on the writer.
Type “hadu” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
The same word also exists in Algerian Darja, written هادو, where it means “these (pronoun)”; “those, those people”: hadou in Algerian.