ma7la محلا
Tunisian Derja · interjection
“ma7la” (محلا) is an interjection in Tunisian Derja meaning how nice, how good!.
Meanings
- how nice, how good!
- how beautiful he/she is (with suffix)
Usage
Ma7la is an exclamation of admiration widely used in Tunisia. It is placed before a noun: ma7la ej-jaw! (what lovely weather!), ma7la el makla (how good the food is). A suffixed pronoun can also be added: ma7lek (how beautiful you are), ma7laha (how beautiful she is), ma7lahom. It expresses sincere pleasure, often affectionate, and is also used as a compliment in online comments. The register is informal and warm. Note: it is not an adjective. One does not say "houwa ma7la", one says "ma7lah".
Example
محلا الجو اليوم!
ma7la ej-jaw lyoum !
“How nice the weather is today!”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ma7la” but also “mahla” and “m7la”. 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.