belli بلي
Algerian Darja · conjunction
“belli” (بلي) is a conjunction in Algerian Darja meaning that (complement clause).
Meanings
- that (complement clause)
Usage
Belli is the most common complementizer in darja. It introduces a clause after verbs of speaking, thinking or perceiving: "galli belli…" (he told me that…), "3reft belli…" (I found out that…), "chouft belli…" (I saw that…). In these uses it corresponds to English "that", but never to the relative pronoun, which is "li". It does not mean "yes", despite a common confusion with "bala" or "bla". In writing it is sometimes shortened to "bli". The register is neutral.
Example
قالي بلي راهو مريض
galli belli rahou mrid
“He told me that he is sick.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “belli” but also “beli”, “bali”, “bli” and “baly”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “belli” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “with what, of what”; “with the one who, with those who”: belli in Tunisian.