7ya حياة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“7ya” (حياة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning life, existence.
Meanings
- life, existence
- personal affairs, private life
Usage
In speech, the word is pronounced 7ya or 7yet, and 7yet before a possessive: 7yeti (my life), 7yetek (your life). The form 7ayet belongs to a more formal register. The very common expression "chouf 7yetek" means "mind your own business". It can be curt, but it can also be friendly advice to move on. One also says "7yeti" to address someone affectionately, like "my life". To talk about the cost of living, people use el ma3icha instead.
Example
ما قالت لهش شف حياتك ؟
Ma 9atlouch chouf 7yetik ?
“Didn't she tell him: mind your own business?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7ya” but also “7yet”, “7ayet”, “hya” and “hyet”. 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 “7ya” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “life, existence”; “way of life”: 7ayat in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “life, existence”; “way of life”: hayat in Algerian.