ahi اهي
Tunisian Derja · particle
“ahi” (اهي) is a particle in Tunisian Derja meaning here she/it is (feminine).
Meanings
- here she/it is (feminine)
- look, here comes
Usage
Ahi is a presentative used to point out or present something feminine: "here she is, here it is". It agrees in gender and number: aho for the masculine, ahom for the plural. It can be combined with a noun ("ahi el klé", "here is the key") or used alone, for example when handing someone an object. In narratives it also introduces a new situation, in the sense of "and then". The pitfall is using it with a masculine noun: choose the form according to the gender of the word.
Example
وين الساك متاعي؟ – آهي فوق الطاولة.
win es-sac mte3i? – ahi fou9 et-tawla.
“Where is my bag? – Here it is, on the table.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ahi” but also “aahi”, “ehi” and “ahy”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.