7atta 7aja حتى حاجة
Tunisian Derja · expression
“7atta 7aja” (حتى حاجة) is an expression in Tunisian Derja meaning nothing (with negation).
Meanings
- nothing (with negation)
- not a single thing
Usage
7atta 7aja literally means "not even one thing". It is used with a verbal negation to mean "nothing": ma fhemt 7atta 7aja ("I understood nothing"), ma fama 7atta 7aja ("there is nothing"). On its own, in answer to a question, it also means "nothing": Chbik ? — 7atta 7aja. English speakers should not forget the ma… ch around the verb: the double negation is still required in the sentence. The expression is very common in speech and on social media, and it can be toned down by saying "7atta chay".
Example
ما فهمت حتى حاجة من اللي قالو.
ma fhemt 7atta 7aja mel li 9alou.
“I didn't understand anything of what he said.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7atta 7aja” but also “hatta haja”, “7ata 7aja”, “7atta 7aje” and “hata haja”. 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 “7atta 7aja” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “nothing (with negation)”; “anything at all”: 7ta 7aja in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “nothing (with a negation)”; “not a single thing”: hata haja in Algerian.