3la على
Moroccan Darija · preposition
“3la” (على) is a preposition in Moroccan Darija meaning on, above.
Meanings
- on, above
- about, concerning
- for, because of
Usage
One of the most frequent prepositions in darija. With a suffixed pronoun it takes the form 3li-: 3liya, 3lik, 3lih, 3liha, 3lina, 3likom, 3lihom. It indicates position (3la tabla, on the table), the subject of speech (hder 3la, to talk about), obligation (3liya nmchi, I have to leave) and opposition (3ndi 3lik, I have something against you). It appears in many expressions: 3la bal (aware), 3la 7sab (according to), 3la ra7tek (at your leisure). It is often reduced to 3a- or 3-l before the article: 3a l-ard (on the ground).
Example
حط الكاس على الطابلة.
7ett lkas 3la tabla.
“Put the glass on the table.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3la” but also “3ala”, “ala” and “aala”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find على and علا, all the same word.
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” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “on, above”; “about, concerning”: 3la in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “on (position, direction)”; “for, because of”: 3la in Tunisian.