i3lan اعلان
Algerian Darja · noun
“i3lan” (اعلان) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning advertisement, ad.
Meanings
- advertisement, ad
- announcement, official notice
- public declaration
Usage
I3lan is a Standard Arabic word well integrated into Algerian speech, especially for advertising: a sponsored video, a poster, a shop ad. One says dir i3lan (make an ad) or chft l'i3lan (I saw the ad). In conversation, many Algerians also use the French "pub", which is more informal, whereas i3lan sounds a little more neutral or formal. For an official announcement (competition, results, administrative notice), i3lan is the usual term. The common plural is i3lanat. It does not mean a declaration of love, which is expressed differently.
Example
دير لي إعلان للحانوت تاعي
dir li i3lan l'hanout ta3i
“Make me an ad for my shop.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “i3lan” but also “i3lane”, “e3lan”, “ialan” and “3lan”. 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 “i3lan” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “announcement, notice”; “advertisement (TV ad, poster)”: i3lan in Moroccan.