9al قال
Tunisian Derja · verb
“9al” (قال) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to say.
Meanings
- to say
- to tell, to report
Usage
Qal is the basic verb for "to say". In Tunis and in towns, the q is pronounced (9al). In many regions, especially inland and in the South, people say gal. The imperative is 9oul or goul, "say". The person being spoken to is expressed by the suffix -li or -lou, attached to the verb: 9alli "he told me", 9oulou "tell him", 9alouli "they told me". In the negative, the verb is framed by ma… ch: ma 9alhach "he didn't say it". The verb is also used to report speech, like "to say that" in English.
Example
و قالوا لي للّا
w galouli lella
“And they told me no.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9al” but also “gal”, “9all”, “kal” and “9ala”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “9al” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to say”; “to tell, report”: gal in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to say”; “to tell, report what was said”: 9al in Algerian.