khlla خلّا
Moroccan Darija · verb
“khlla” (خلّا) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to leave (somewhere).
Meanings
- to leave (somewhere)
- to let, allow
- to abandon, quit
Usage
The verb khlla is one of the most common in darija. It is used to leave an object somewhere, to leave someone, or to allow an action. Followed by a verb, it means "to let": khllih ymchi, "let him go". The imperative is khlli, and khllini means "leave me alone". It is conjugated like a verb with a weak final consonant: khllit, kaykhlli. Beware of a homograph: khla, without the doubled consonant, is a noun meaning "wilderness, wild place". That is the sense in chmkar dyal lkhla, which has nothing to do with the verb.
Example
خلّا طوموبيل ف لڭاراج
khlla TTomobil f lgaraj
“He left the car in the garage.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kankhlli | khllit | |
| nta (you, m.) | katkhlli | khlliti | khlli |
| nti (you, f.) | katkhlli | khlliti | khlli |
| howa (he) | kaykhlli | khlla | |
| hiya (she) | katkhlli | khllat | |
| 7na (we) | kankhlliw | khllina | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katkhlliw | khllito | khlliw |
| homa (they) | kaykhlliw | khllao |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khlla” but also “khella”, “5lla”, “khla”, “5la” and “khalla”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find خلّا and خلى, all the same word.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.
Type “khlla” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to leave, to quit”; “to let, to allow”: khalla in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “deserted place, empty expanse”; “open countryside, outdoors”: 5lè in Tunisian.