ba3dika بعديكا
Tunisian Derja · adverb
“ba3dika” (بعديكا) is an adverb in Tunisian Derja meaning then, afterwards.
Meanings
- then, afterwards
- later
Usage
Ba3dika is a very common, informal adverb of time. It means "then" or "after that" and is used to link the steps of a story. It is often placed at the start of a clause, sometimes after "ya5i": "ya5i ba3dika…" ("and then after that…"). It is more natural in speech than "ba3d", which remains a preposition ("ba3d el ftour", "after lunch"). The two should not be confused. Ba3dika is used on its own and takes no complement. It can also refer to the future, in the sense of "later".
Example
كليت، بعديكا خرجت نتمشى.
klit, ba3dika khrajt netmacha.
“I ate, then I went out for a walk.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ba3dika” but also “ba3deka”, “ba3dikka”, “ba3dkika” and “ba3dik”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
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.