li اللي
Algerian Darja · pronoun
“li” (اللي) is a pronoun in Algerian Darja meaning who, which, that (relative).
Meanings
- who, which, that (relative)
- the one who, what
Usage
Elli, most often pronounced li, is the single relative pronoun of Darja. It is invariable in gender and number, and it replaces "who", "that/whom", "whose" and "where" alike: er-rajel li chefto, "the man whom I saw". Used without an antecedent, it means "the one who" or "what": li yheb yji, yji, "whoever wants to come, let him come". When the relative is an object, a resumptive pronoun is required on the verb or preposition: ed-dar li sekna fiha, "the house where I live".
Example
الطفل اللي جا البارح هو ولد جارنا.
tfel li ja lbareh howa wled jarna.
“The boy who came yesterday is our neighbor's son.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “li” but also “elli”, “lli”, “illi”, “eli” and “elly”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “li” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
The same word also exists in Tunisian Derja, written الي, where it means “who, which, that (relative)”; “that (conjunction)”: elli in Tunisian.