3ali عالي
Algerian Darja · adjective
“3ali” (عالي) is an adjective in Algerian Darja meaning high, tall.
Meanings
- high, tall
- loud (voice, sound)
- high-level
Usage
3ali, feminine 3alya, means "high, elevated". It is used for a wall, a mountain or a price. For a voice or a sound, it means "loud": b sawt 3ali, "in a loud voice". To judge a performance, people often say mostawa 3ali, "a high level", a common phrase in compliments. For a person's height, twil, "tall", is preferred. The opposite is wa7el or msatti depending on context, or more simply "low". The register is neutral.
Example
صوتك عالي، هدر بالشوية
sawtek 3ali, hder bechwiya
“Your voice is loud, speak softly.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3ali” but also “aali”, “ali” and “3aly”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.
Type “3ali” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “high, tall”; “loud (sound, voice)”: 3ali in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “high, tall”; “loud (voice, sound)”: 3ali in Tunisian.