waldi ولدي
Algerian Darja · noun
“waldi” (ولدي) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning my son.
Meanings
- my son
- my boy, son (affectionate)
Usage
Waldi is the possessive form of weld (boy, son) followed by the suffix -i (my). Literally, it refers to one's own son. It is also a very common affectionate form of address: an older person calls a young man who is not their child this way, especially in blessings such as "Allah yahfdek ya waldi". The corresponding feminine is benti (my daughter). The plural is wladi (my children), which can include girls and boys. An English speaker should therefore not assume a family relationship when the word is used as a form of address.
Example
ولدي راه يقرا في الجامعة
waldi rah yaqra fel jami3a
“My son is studying at the university.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “waldi” but also “weldi”, “wldi”, “ouldi” and “wledi”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “waldi” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “my son”; “my boy (affectionate address)”: wldi in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “my son”; “my boy (affectionate address)”: weldi in Tunisian.