gla3 yeddek قلع يدك
Algerian Darja · expression
“gla3 yeddek” (قلع يدك) is an expression in Algerian Darja meaning take your hand off.
Meanings
- take your hand off
- don't touch
Usage
An informal command meaning "take your hand off", "remove your hand". The verb gla3 means to take off, pull out, remove. It is used to make someone let go of an object, to stop someone touching something, or to push away an inappropriate gesture. The tone is direct, sometimes curt, especially with a child. For a woman, one says gal3i yeddek, and for several people gal3ou yeddikom. Depending on the region, the first sound is pronounced g or q. For a more polite tone, one readily adds "3afak" or "please".
Example
قلع يدك من الماكلة، مازال ما جاش باباك.
gla3 yeddek men lmakla, mazal ma jach babak.
“Take your hand off the food, your father hasn't arrived yet.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “gla3 yeddek” but also “gla3 yiddak”, “9la3 yeddek”, “qla3 yeddek” and “gle3 yeddek”. 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; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.