t7adda تحدى
Tunisian Derja · verb
“t7adda” (تحدى) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to challenge, to defy someone.
Meanings
- to challenge, to defy someone
- to brave, to stand up to
Usage
The verb t7adda, rather formal in register, is commonly used in Tunisia, especially in sports, games and on social media. One says nt7addak for "I challenge you" or "I bet you can't do it". The person challenged is a direct object: t7addeh. The corresponding noun, ta7addi, means a challenge, including online "challenges". Pitfall for an English speaker: the vowelless Arabic spelling can correspond to either the verb or the noun; context decides. The word is understood everywhere, but it sounds slightly more formal than purely dialectal expressions.
Example
نتحدّاك تجري معايا لآخر الشارع
nt7addak tjri m3aya l ekher ech-chere3
“I challenge you to run with me to the end of the street.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “t7adda” but also “tahada”, “t7ada”, “tahda” and “ta7addi”. 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.