bel3dl بلعدل
Moroccan Darija · adverb
“bel3dl” (بلعدل) is an adverb in Moroccan Darija meaning fairly, with justice.
Meanings
- fairly, with justice
- in equal shares
Usage
Bel3dl is formed from b- and l3dl, "justice, fairness". It is used mostly for a division or a judgment: qsem bel3dl, "divide it fairly". The register is rather formal or moralizing, and it is often heard in family advice or about an inheritance. In everyday speech, people also say bettsawi for "in equal shares", which is more concrete. The vowel varies by speaker (3adl, 3dl), which explains the variety of spellings online.
Example
قسمو الورث بينكم بلعدل.
9esmo lwert binatkom bel3dl.
“Divide the inheritance among yourselves fairly.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bel3dl” but also “bl3adl” and “bel3adl”. 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.