achnahowa اشنهوة
Tunisian Derja · pronoun
“achnahowa” (اشنهوة) is a pronoun in Tunisian Derja meaning what is it? (masculine).
Meanings
- what is it? (masculine)
- what then?
Usage
Interrogative pronoun formed from "ach" (what) and "nahouwa" (him, this one). It is used to ask what a masculine-designated thing is. It is more emphatic, sometimes more insistent or surprised, than the short form "chnowa". It agrees with what is designated: "achnahiya" in the feminine, "achnahouma" in the plural. It goes at the start of the sentence, often followed by a demonstrative like "hedha". The register is colloquial, and the form varies by region and speaker.
Example
آشنهوة هذا اللي في يدّك؟
achnahowa hedha elli fi yeddek?
“What is that thing in your hand?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “achnahowa” but also “achnahouwa” and “achnhowa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.