adheka اذاكة
Tunisian Derja · pronoun
“adheka” (اذاكة) is a pronoun in Tunisian Derja meaning that one, that (distal demonstrative).
Meanings
- that one, that (distal demonstrative)
- that's why (in adheka 3lech)
Usage
Adheka is a short form of hedheka, the masculine demonstrative for things far away. It is used alone as a pronoun ("that one, that") or after a noun. The most frequent expression is adheka 3lech, "that's why, that's the reason", which concludes an explanation, often with a touch of irony. The corresponding feminine is hedhika or adhika. The register is informal and spoken, very common in online comments. For an English speaker, the pitfall is confusing it with hedha, which refers to what is near ("this one"): adheka marks distance or refers back to something already mentioned.
Example
ما قراش، اذاكة علاش سقط.
ma 9rach, adheka 3lech s9at.
“He didn't study, that's why he failed.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “adheka” but also “adhaka”, “edheka”, “idheka” and “adeka”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.