ahla احلي
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“ahla” (احلي) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning most beautiful, best.
Meanings
- most beautiful, best
- nicer, sweeter
Usage
Ahla is the comparative and superlative form of hlou, which means "sweet, beautiful, pleasant". Placed before a noun, it is used to thank or flatter: ahla jiran ("the best neighbours"), ahla nes ("the most lovely people"). With min, it expresses a comparison: ahla min ("more beautiful than"). Ahla does not agree in gender or number. It is found in the greeting ahla w sahla, "welcome". On social media, it is often written with a final "ي" (احلي) instead of "ى".
Example
يعيشكم، انتوما أحلى جيران.
y3aychkom, intouma ahla jiran.
“Thank you, you're the best neighbours.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ahla” but also “a7la” and “ahlé”. 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.