mele7 مالح
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“mele7” (مالح) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning salty, too salty.
Meanings
- salty, too salty
- savory (not sweet)
- expensive, pricey (colloquial)
Usage
Mele7 describes a dish, water or food that contains salt. It agrees in gender and number: mel7a in the feminine, mel7in in the plural. It is used to complain about an over-salted dish ("el makla mel7a barcha") and to distinguish savory from sweet (7lou), for example for biscuits or cakes. In colloquial speech, it is also used for a price that is too high: "el 7wayej mel7in". Do not confuse it with mle7, "nice, good", whose pronunciation is close.
Example
الكسكسي مالح برشا اليوم
el kosksi mele7 barcha lyoum
“The couscous is very salty today.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mele7” but also “male7”, “mali7”, “mele7a” and “malah”. 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.