falso فالصو
Algerian Darja · adjective
“falso” (فالصو) is an adjective in Algerian Darja meaning fake, counterfeit, imitation.
Meanings
- fake, counterfeit, imitation
- (person) unreliable, two-faced
Usage
Falso describes what is fake or counterfeit: a piece of imitation jewellery, a forged banknote, a knock-off brand or a doctored document. You say dheb falso for gold that isn't real. The word is generally invariable: sa3a falso, "fake watches". Colloquially, it is also applied to a person seen as false, who doesn't keep their word or puts on an act. It is also used for a botched or badly done action. The register is common and colloquial; it is a word well integrated into everyday speech.
Example
هاد الساعة فالصو، ماشي أصلية
had sa3a falso, machi asliya
“This watch is fake, it's not genuine.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “falso” but also “falsou” and “falsoo”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “falso” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “fake, counterfeit”; “two-faced, unreliable (person)”: falso in Tunisian.