9a3da قاعدة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“9a3da” (قاعدة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning rule, principle.
Meanings
- rule, principle
- base, foundation
- she/it is …-ing (progressive)
Usage
As a noun, 9a3da means "rule" (9a3da fel na7w, "grammar rule") or "base" (3la 9a3da s7i7a, "on a solid basis"). It is also the feminine of the participle 9a3ed, "sitting". Placed before an imperfect verb, it marks an action in progress: 9a3da tech3el, "she is burning". It should not then be taken literally: nobody is necessarily sitting. The masculine is 9a3ed, the plural 9a3din. Pronunciation varies by region: 9a3da or ga3da.
Example
هاذي قاعدة ما تتبدلش
hethi 9a3da ma tetbadelch
“This is a rule that doesn't change.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9a3da” but also “ga3da”, “qa3da”, “ka3da”, “9aada” and “gaada”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find قاعدة and قعدة, all the same word.
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; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “9a3da” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “rule, norm”; “base (military), foundation”: 9a3ida in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “in the middle of doing (female subject)”; “sitting, staying (feminine)”: ga3da in Algerian.