3ada عدا
Tunisian Derja · preposition
“3ada” (عدا) is a preposition in Tunisian Derja meaning except, apart from.
Meanings
- except, apart from
Usage
3ada is used mainly in the phrase ma 3ada, "except" or "with the exception of", for example "lkol ma 3ada houwa" ("everyone except him"). The phrase comes from standard Arabic and is a somewhat formal register. In casual conversation, people more readily say ghir or ken ("ken houwa"). Beware of homographs: the same spelling can also write the verb 3adda, "to pass, to pass on". It can also write 3dou, "enemy", depending on context. Only speech or the surrounding sentence settles which is meant.
Example
جاو الكل ما عدا خوك.
jew elkol ma 3ada khouk.
“Everyone came except your brother.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3ada” but also “aada”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.