lila ليلة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“lila” (ليلة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning a specific night.
Meanings
- a specific night
- evening party, festive gathering
- nocturnal ritual (Gnawa, brotherhoods)
Usage
Lila refers to a specific or countable night, whereas l-lil refers to night in general. Some common expressions: had l-lila ("tonight, this night"), dik l-lila ("that night"), kull lila ("every night"), lila sa3ida ("good night"). The plural is lyali. The word also means a night-long gathering, notably the Gnawa lila, a musical and ritual ceremony that lasts all night. To wish someone good night, one also says tsbe7 3la khir.
Example
مانعستش ديك ليلة
man3stsh dik lila
“I didn't sleep that night.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “lila” but also “llila”, “lilla”, “liila” and “leila”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “lila” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “night”; “festive evening”: lila in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “night”; “evening, eve of a celebration”: lila in Tunisian.