a9al اقل
Algerian Darja · adjective
“a9al” (اقل) is an adjective in Algerian Darja meaning less, smaller.
Meanings
- less, smaller
- the least, the minimum
Usage
A9al is used mainly in set phrases that come from Standard Arabic and are well established in spoken language. The most frequent is "3la l'a9al", "at least". You also hear "a9al men" for "less than" and "a9al haja", "the slightest thing". In spontaneous conversation, the dialectal form "9el men" is often heard for "less than". The word sounds a bit more formal or written than "9lil" (little, few). Do not confuse it with "9al" (he said), which is spelled almost identically in arabizi.
Example
على الأقل عيّط لي
3la l'a9al 3ayetli
“At least call me.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “a9al” but also “a9l”, “aqal”, “akal” and “a9el”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “a9al” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “less, lesser”; “the least, the slightest”: a9all in Moroccan.