7al حال
Tunisian Derja · noun
“7al” (حال) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning state, situation, condition.
Meanings
- state, situation, condition
- weather, heat
Usage
7al refers to the state a person or thing is in. It is used in greetings: "chnowa 7alek ?" (how are you?), "7alou mouch behi" (he is not doing well). With the article, el 7al often refers to the weather, especially the heat: "el 7al s5oun lyoum" (it's hot today). Note that the verb form 7all (to open), as in "7all 3inih", is written the same way in Arabic. It is not the same word, and context tells them apart.
Example
شنوة حالك اليوم؟
chnowa 7alek lyoum ?
“How are you today?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7al” but also “hal”, “7el” and “7aal”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.