3la men على من
Moroccan Darija · expression
“3la men” (على من) is an expression in Moroccan Darija meaning about whom, concerning whom.
Meanings
- about whom, concerning whom
- on whom
- at whom, against whom
Usage
A combination of the preposition 3la and the interrogative pronoun men (who). It is used to ask a question about a person, with all the senses of 3la: the topic of a conversation (3la men katehder?), a search (3la men kat9elleb?), or the person targeted or blamed (3la men ghadi tdi7ha?). For an English speaker, the translation depends on the verb: "about whom", "who", "against whom". It is also heard in informal relative clauses, but its main use remains interrogative. Do not confuse it with 3lach (why), which concerns a thing or a reason.
Example
على من كتهضر؟
3la men katehder?
“Who are you talking about?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3la men” but also “3la mn” and “ala men”. 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 “3la men” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “of whom, about whom”; “on whom, against whom”: 3la men in Tunisian.