9lil قليل
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“9lil” (قليل) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning few, in small quantity.
Meanings
- few, in small quantity
- rarely (9lil fach / 9lil li)
- lacking in (9lil + noun)
Usage
9lil means "few, in small quantity". It agrees with the noun: 9lila in the feminine, 9lal in the plural. At the start of a sentence, followed by fach, fin or li, it expresses rarity: "9lil fach kanji", "I rarely come"; "9lil li kayji", "few are those who come". Placed before a noun, it indicates a lack: "9lil l7ya", "shameless"; "9lil sse7ta", "unfortunate". To say "a little", you don't use 9lil but chwiya.
Example
قليل لي كايجي هنا
9lil li kayji hna
“Few people come here.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9lil” but also “9elil”, “qlil”, “glil” and “9alil”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “9lil” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “few, in small quantity”; “rare (qlil li…: few are those who)”: 9lil in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “little, few”; “slight, weak”: 9lil in Tunisian.