3ali عالي
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“3ali” (عالي) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning high, tall.
Meanings
- high, tall
- loud (voice, sound)
- proud, dignified (figurative)
Usage
3ali means high or elevated: a wall, a price, a level. The feminine is 3alia, and the plural 3alin. For a sound or a voice, it means "loud": sawtek 3ali (you are speaking loudly), bi sawt 3ali (out loud). The expression rasou 3ali (head held high) describes a proud or dignified person. The comparative is a3la (higher). For a tall person, twil is used instead. Do not confuse 3ali with the very common first name Ali, often written the same way in Latin letters.
Example
صوتك عالي برشة، الصغار راقدين
sawtek 3ali barcha, sghar r9ad
“Your voice is very loud, the kids are asleep.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3ali” but also “aali”, “3eli” and “ali”. 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 “3ali” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “high, tall”; “loud (sound, voice)”: 3ali in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “high, tall”; “loud (voice, sound)”: 3ali in Algerian.