bla3 بلع
Moroccan Darija · verb
“bla3” (بلع) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to swallow.
Meanings
- to swallow
- to shut up (with fomm)
- to put up with
Usage
Bla3 (imperfect ybla3) means to swallow food, medicine or saliva. Figuratively, it means to take a remark or an injustice without reacting, for example bla3ha, "he swallowed it". The expression bla3 fommek, literally "swallow your mouth", means "shut up". It is abrupt and should be avoided with elders or strangers. It is also worth knowing that bla3 can describe someone who pockets money for themselves. Context generally makes it clear which sense is meant.
Example
ما قدرتش نبلع هاد الدوا، مرّ بزاف.
ma9dertch nbla3 had ddwa, merr bzzaf.
“I couldn't swallow this medicine, it's too bitter.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bla3” but also “bl3”, “ybla3” and “blaa”. 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 “bla3” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to close, shut (door, mouth, window)”; “to swallow”: bla3 in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to swallow”; “to fall for, believe naively”: bla3 in Tunisian.