kado كادو
Tunisian Derja · noun
“kado” (كادو) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning gift, present.
Meanings
- gift, present
- freebie, something free
Usage
Kado is a borrowing from French, fully integrated into derja and used by all ages and in all milieux. You say "jibtlou kado" (I brought him a gift) or "3malt kado" (I gave a gift). In the plural you hear "kadowet" or simply "kado". In commerce, "kado" also means what is given with a purchase: "hedhi kado" means "this is free". The Arabic word hdiyya exists but sounds more formal or religious. The word is invariable in most uses and does not take the French article.
Example
جبتلها كادو نهار عيد ميلادها
jibtelha kado nhar 3id miledha
“I brought her a gift on her birthday.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “kado” but also “cadeau”, “kadou”, “cado” and “kadeau”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “kado” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “gift, present”: kado in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “gift, present”; “free, complimentary (as a bonus)”: kado in Algerian.