b7dheya بحذاية
Tunisian Derja · preposition
“b7dheya” (بحذاية) is a preposition in Tunisian Derja meaning next to, beside.
Meanings
- next to, beside
Usage
B7dheya is a very common preposition in Tunisian. It places a person or thing right next to another: "b7dheya el jem3", next to the mosque. Pronouns can be attached to it: "b7dheya", "b7dhek", "b7dhah". The short form "b7dhé" is very frequent. The word belongs to the informal register and is used both to describe a place and to say you were near someone. Be careful not to confuse it with "9oddem", in front of, or "wra", behind. The meaning is strictly spatial: it is not used to compare two things.
Example
قعدت بحذاية أختي في العرس
9a3adt b7dheya o5ti fil 3ors
“I sat next to my sister at the wedding.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “b7dheya” but also “b7dhe”, “bi7dheya”, “bhdheya” and “b7dhaya”. 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.