tta wa7d تا واحد
Moroccan Darija · pronoun
“tta wa7d” (تا واحد) is a pronoun in Moroccan Darija meaning nobody (with negation).
Meanings
- nobody (with negation)
- anyone, whoever
Usage
Tta wa7d is a shortened form of 7tta wa7d, literally "not even one". It is used mainly in negative sentences, with ma… and often without the final -ch: ma ja tta wa7d, "nobody came". It can also appear in a question or a hypothetical sentence with the meaning "anyone at all". In short answers, it is used alone: tta wa7d! "nobody!". The pitfall is to translate it as "just one", when it is actually a negative pronoun. It is very common in speech.
Example
ما جا تا واحد ليوم.
ma ja tta wa7d lyoum.
“Nobody came today.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tta wa7d” but also “ta wa7d” and “tta wahd”. 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.