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”).
ħa (imperfect jieħu, past participle meħud, verbal noun teħid)
- to take
- to deceive
- to occupy, take up
- to lead [+ għal (object)]
- to marry
- to treat [+ b’ (object)]
- Ħadni bħal wieħed iblah. ― He treated me as if I were a fool.
- to wound
- Ħa riġlu lbieraħ. ― He wounded his foot yesterday.
- to undertake responsibilities [+ fuq (object)]
- to feel the effects of [+ ġo (object)] or [+ f’ (object)]
- to take after [+ minn (object)]
- Ħadet minn ommha. ― She took after her mother.
- to be offended [+ għal (object)]
- Ħadet għalik. ― She was offended by you.
- to quarrel [+-ha] [+ ma’ (object)]
- Ħadha miegħi. ― He quarreled with me.
- to assert one's self [+ ta’ (object)]
- Ħa tiegħu. ― He asserted himself.
- Positive forms
- Negative forms (regularly derived, but peculiar)