dalil دليل
Tunisian Derja · noun
“dalil” (دليل) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning proof, evidence.
Meanings
- proof, evidence
- argument
- guide, directory
Usage
Dalil comes from Standard Arabic, but it is very common in derja. It means a proof, a piece of evidence or an argument in a discussion. The phrase w ed-dalil ("and the proof is") introduces an example that backs up what has just been said. One also says 3andek dalil? ("do you have proof?"). In legal contexts, it appears in dalil bara2a ("proof of innocence"). More rarely, dalil means a guide or a directory. The plural is adilla, which belongs more to a formal register.
Example
و دليل ال قضايا في جرايد اللي نقراوا فيها آوك
w dalil el 9athaya fi jarayéd elli na9raw fiha ok
“And the proof is the cases in the newspapers we read, okay?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dalil” but also “dlil” and “daliil”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “dalil” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “proof, evidence”; “argument”: dalil in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “proof, sign”; “guide (person or booklet)”: dalil in Algerian.