ma3lich معليش
Tunisian Derja · interjection
“ma3lich” (معليش) is an interjection in Tunisian Derja meaning never mind, it's okay.
Meanings
- never mind, it's okay
- sorry, excuse me
Usage
Ma3lich is used in Tunisia to play down an incident: "it's not serious", "never mind". It is also used to apologize or to ask for a bit of indulgence, for example ma3lich, sam7ni. The register is informal and spoken, and the word is very common on social media. It can be comforting, or resigned in the face of a situation one cannot change. The word is known throughout the Arab world. In Tunisia, it coexists with mouch mochkla, "no problem", which is more neutral.
Example
معليش، ما قصدتش
ma3lich, ma 9sadtech
“Sorry, I didn't do it on purpose.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ma3lich” but also “ma3lech”, “m3lich”, “maalich” and “ma3lish”. 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.