della3 دلاع
Algerian Darja · noun
“della3” (دلاع) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning watermelon (fruit).
Meanings
- watermelon (fruit)
Usage
Della3 is the usual word for watermelon throughout Algeria. It is a collective noun: della3 refers to the fruit in general or a quantity, and della3a to a single watermelon (plural della3at). People say chrit della3a for "I bought a watermelon" and tbsi della3 for "a plate of watermelon". The word is very common in summer, in markets and by the roadside. Pitfall: the yellow melon is not called della3 but bettikh. Do not confuse the two fruits.
Example
جبت دلاعة من السوق، باردة وحلوة
jbt della3a mel souq, barda w 7lowa
“I brought a watermelon back from the market, it's cold and sweet.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “della3” but also “dela3”, “dellaa”, “della3a” and “dalla3”. 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 “della3” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “watermelon”: della3 in Tunisian.