9lil قليل
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“9lil” (قليل) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning little, few.
Meanings
- little, few
- slight, weak
- rare, infrequent
Usage
9lil describes a quantity judged insufficient or small. It agrees in gender and number: 9lila (feminine), 9lal (plural). It is also used adverbially after a verb to mean "little". In everyday conversation, chwaya is more often used for "a little"; 9lil puts more emphasis on the shortage. The comparative a9all ("less", "the least") is very common in expressions such as a9all 7aja, "the slightest thing". The expression 9lil el 7ya, literally "little modesty", describes a shameless person.
Example
الفلوس قليلة هالشهر
el flous 9lila hal chhar
“Money is short this month.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9lil” but also “qlil”, “9lel” and “klil”. 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 “9lil” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “few, in small quantity”; “rarely (9lil fach / 9lil li)”: 9lil in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “few, in small quantity”; “rare (qlil li…: few are those who)”: 9lil in Algerian.