ħa

Maltese

Root
’-ħ-d
2 terms

Etymology

From Arabic أَخَذَ (ʔaḵaḏa). Disregarding the different vowel colour (triggered by the ħ-), the vocalic development was exactly the same as in kiel (“to eat”), which see. The paradigm was further complicated by an unusual loss of -d in all word-final positions (except for the participle); this is also found in some Maghrebi dialects, compare Tunisian Arabic ناخو (nāḵu, “I take”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ħaː/

Verb

ħa (imperfect jieħu, past participle meħud, verbal noun teħid)

1. to take
2. to deceive
3. to occupy, take up
4. to lead [with għal]
5. to marry
6. to treat [with direct object and bħal ‘as someone’]

   Ħadni bħal wieħed iblah. ― He treated me as if I were a fool.

7. to wound

   Ħa riġlu lbieraħ. ― He wounded his foot yesterday.

8. to undertake responsibilities [with fuq]
9. to feel the effects [with ġo or f’ ‘of’]
10. to take after [with minn]

    Ħadet minn ommha. ― She took after her mother.

11. to be offended [with għal]

    Ħadet għalik. ― She was offended by you.

12. to quarrel [with -ha ‘dummy object’ and ma’ ‘with someone’]

    Ħadha miegħi. ― He quarreled with me.

13. to assert one's self [with ta’]

    Ħa tiegħu. ― He asserted himself.

Conjugation

Positive forms

Conjugation of ħa
		singular				plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person
perfect	m	ħadt	ħadt	ħa		ħadna	ħadtu	ħadu
	f			ħadet
imperfect	m	nieħu	tieħu	jieħu		nieħdu	tieħdu	jieħdu
	f			tieħu
imperative			ħu				ħudu

Negative forms (regularly derived, but peculiar)

Conjugation of ħa
		singular				plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person
perfect	m	ħadtx	ħadtx	ħax		ħadniex	ħadtux	ħadux
	f			ħaditx
imperfect	m	neħux, niħux	teħux, tiħux	jeħux, jiħux		neħdux, niħdux	teħdux, tiħdux	jeħdux, jiħdux
	f			teħux, tiħux
imperative			teħux, tiħux				teħdux, tiħdux