lila ليلة
Algerian Darja · noun
“lila” (ليلة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning night.
Meanings
- night
- festive evening
Usage
Lila refers to the night as a period of time: « had lila » (tonight), « lila kamla » (all night). The plural is lyali. The word also names notable evenings: lilet lhenna (the henna night before a wedding), lilet chak (the night of doubt, when people watch for the moon before Ramadan or Eid), lilet l9adr. To wish someone good night, say "tesbah 3la khir". To talk about the night in general, one also says lil. Lila remains the usual word when speaking of a specific night.
Example
البارح ما رقدتش الليلة كاملة.
Lbareh ma rgadtch lila kamla.
“Last night I didn't sleep the whole night.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “lila” but also “lilla”, “liila”, “leila” and “lilaa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “lila” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “a specific night”; “evening party, festive gathering”: lila in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “night”; “evening, eve of a celebration”: lila in Tunisian.