5alla خلى

Tunisian Derja · verb

“5alla” (خلى) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to let, allow.

Meanings

1. to let, allow
2. to leave, quit, abandon
3. to leave behind

Usage

5alla is the basic verb for "to leave" or "to let". Followed by a pronoun and a verb, it means "to let, to allow": "5allini nemchi" (let me go). With an object alone, it means "to quit, to abandon": "5alla 5edmtou" (he quit his job). It is also used for "to keep, to set aside": "5alli-li chwaya" (save me a bit). The imperative 5alli is very often used as "forget it" or "wait". The present is conjugated y5alli, n5alli, t5alli.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “5alla” but also “khalla”, “5ala”, “5alli” and “khalli”. 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.

Type “5alla” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

The same word also exists in Moroccan Darija, written خلّا, where it means “to leave (somewhere)”; “to let, allow”: khlla in Moroccan.

In Algerian Darja

The same word also exists in Algerian Darja, written خلا, where it means “to leave, to quit”; “to let, to allow”: khalla in Algerian.