3la bali على بالي
Tunisian Derja · expression
“3la bali” (على بالي) is an expression in Tunisian Derja meaning I know, I'm aware.
Meanings
- I know, I'm aware
- as far as I know
Usage
3la bali literally means "on my mind" and is used in the sense of "I know, I'm aware". The pronoun changes with the person: 3la balek (you know), 3la balou (he knows), 3la balna (we know). Bi h or biha is often added to say "I'm aware of that": "3la bali bih". The negative is formed with ma…ch: "ma 3la balich", "I don't know", which is very common. For an English speaker, don't take it to mean "I'm thinking about it": the meaning is knowing.
Example
على بالي، قالّي خوك البارح.
3la bali, 9alli khouk el bere7.
“I know, your brother told me yesterday.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3la bali” but also “ala bali”, “3lé bali” and “3al bali”. 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 “3la bali” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “I know, I'm aware”; “I have in mind, I remember”: 3la bali in Algerian.