7dachen حداشن
Tunisian Derja · numeral
“7dachen” (حداشن) is a numeral in Tunisian Derja meaning eleven (before a noun).
Meanings
- eleven (before a noun)
Usage
7dachen is the form of "eleven" used right before a noun. On its own you say 7dach, but before a noun you say 7dachen dinar or 7dachen alf. This alternation applies to the numbers from eleven to nineteen (tna3chen, tle9tachen, etc.). It often confuses learners. The noun that follows stays singular: 7dachen dinar, not "dinarat". You hear it constantly in prices, ages and times. With millimes, you say for example "7dachen dinar w sab3mya" for eleven dinars seven hundred.
Example
عندو حداشن عام
3andou 7dachen 3am
“He is eleven years old.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7dachen” but also “hdachen”, “7dashen”, “7dachn” and “hdashen”. 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.