tkhella تخلّا
Moroccan Darija · verb
“tkhella” (تخلّا) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to abandon, forsake (someone).
Meanings
- to abandon, forsake (someone)
- to give up on (something)
Usage
Tkhella is almost always constructed with 3la: tkhella 3la, "to abandon someone or give up on something". With a pronoun, one says for example tkhella 3lih, "he abandoned him". The word carries strong emotional weight: it is used for a parent who neglects their children, a friend who lets someone down, or a project that is given up. The imperfect is yetkhella. Pitfall for an English speaker: do not confuse it with khella, "to leave", or with t-khelli, "you leave".
Example
ما تتخلاش على صاحبك فالوقت الصعيب
ma tetkhellach 3la sa7bek f l-w9t ss3ib
“Don't abandon your friend in hard times.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kantkhella | tkhellit | |
| nta (you, m.) | kattkhella | tkhelliti | tkhella |
| nti (you, f.) | kattkhellay | tkhelliti | tkhellay |
| howa (he) | kaytkhella | tkhella | |
| hiya (she) | kattkhella | tkhellaat | |
| 7na (we) | kantkhellaw | tkhellina | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | kattkhellaw | tkhellito | tkhellaw |
| homa (they) | kaytkhellaw | tkhellao |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tkhella” but also “t5ella”, “tkhlla”, “t5lla” and “tkhalla”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.