ma 7add ما حد
Tunisian Derja · pronoun
“ma 7add” (ما حد) is a pronoun in Tunisian Derja meaning nobody, no one.
Meanings
- nobody, no one
Usage
Ma 7add is the common way to say "nobody" in Tunisian. It goes at the start of the sentence, before the conjugated verb: ma 7add ja (nobody came), ma 7add yefhem (nobody understands). Unlike French, no second negative element is added. In a sentence that is already negative, 7add alone is used instead: ma rit 7add (I didn't see anybody). It is often written as one word, ma7add, or as two. The word belongs to the informal, everyday register, both spoken and written on social media.
Example
ما حدّ جا اليوم للخدمة.
ma 7add ja lyoum lel khedma.
“Nobody came to work today.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ma 7add” but also “ma 7ad”. 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.