bla3 بلع
Tunisian Derja · verb
“bla3” (بلع) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to swallow.
Meanings
- to swallow
- to fall for, believe naively
- to shut up (imperative)
Usage
Bla3 (imperfect yebla3) means to swallow, whether food, medicine or one's own saliva. Figuratively, "bla3ha" means "he swallowed it": he believed a lie. The imperative "ebla3" or "ebla3 fommek", "shut your mouth", is very informal and can sound aggressive. "Bla3 lsénou" means "he swallowed his words, he fell silent". The verbal noun "bla3an" refers to the act of swallowing. This verb is very common in all registers. For an English speaker, the "be quiet" sense is the hardest to guess.
Example
ما نجّمتش نبلع الدواء
ma najjamtech nebla3 eddwé
“I couldn't swallow the medicine.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bla3” but also “ble3”, “ebla3” and “bla3t”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.
Type “bla3” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to swallow”; “to shut up (with fomm)”: bla3 in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to close, shut (door, mouth, window)”; “to swallow”: bla3 in Algerian.