3alami عالمي
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“3alami” (عالمي) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning worldwide, world-famous.
Meanings
- worldwide, world-famous
- international
Usage
3alami describes what goes beyond the country's borders: a star, a brand, an event, a competition. It is often used with wella ("to become") to say that a person has made it abroad, or to stress a level of excellence. The feminine is 3alamiya (lkoura 3alamiya, "world football"). The word comes from Standard Arabic but is fully integrated into darija, in the media as well as in conversation. In a colloquial and slightly ironic sense, it can be used to mock someone who thinks they are very important. It always comes after the noun it describes.
Example
راه هاد المغني ولا عالمي.
rah had lmoughani wela 3aalami.
“This singer has become a global star.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3alami” but also “3aalami”, “aalami” and “3alamy”. 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.