3la على
Tunisian Derja · preposition
“3la” (على) is a preposition in Tunisian Derja meaning on (position, direction).
Meanings
- on (position, direction)
- for, because of
- about, concerning
Usage
3la first marks position or direction, "on": 3la etawla ("on the table"). Before the article, it contracts to 3al: 3al khalit ("onto the mixture"). It is also used to express cause or price: khsar flous 3la 7kayet ("he lost money over nonsense"), 3la khater ("because"). It also means "about": 7keli 3lih ("tell me about him"). It takes the suffixes 3liya, 3lik, 3lih. It is also found in the greeting salam 3likom.
Example
وتصبهم على الخليط الولاني
wtsobhom 3al elkhalit lawlani
“And you pour them onto the first mixture.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3la” but also “3al”, “ala”, “3ala”, “aala” and “3alla”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find على and علا, all the same word.
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” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “on, above”; “about, concerning”: 3la in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “on, above”; “about, concerning”: 3la in Algerian.