chnehi شنهية
Tunisian Derja · pronoun
“chnehi” (شنهية) is a pronoun in Tunisian Derja meaning what, what is it (feminine).
Meanings
- what, what is it (feminine)
- what (neutral form)
Usage
Chniya is the interrogative pronoun "what" in the feminine, formed from ech + hiya. The spelling with h reflects this origin. It is used when the thing asked about is a feminine noun: chniya el 7keya ? ("what's going on?", literally "what is the story?"). Along with chnouwa, it is the most common form for asking an open question. Depending on region and speaker, one or the other dominates. Pronounced alone and sharply, chniya ? can sound aggressive.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, it is written “chnehi”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.