met3alem متعلم
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“met3alem” (متعلم) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning educated, schooled.
Meanings
- educated, schooled
- used to something
Usage
Met3allem describes a person who has studied or who can read and write. It is often used by contrast: mech met3allem ("not educated"), or in remarks like "he is educated and he behaves like that". The feminine is met3allma, the plural met3allmin. With the preposition 3la or b-, the meaning becomes "used to": met3allem 3la el-bard, "used to the cold". Pitfall: it does not mean "learned". The word indicates an ordinary level of education, not scholarship.
Example
هو متعلم وقرا في الجامعة
howa met3allem w9ra fil jem3a
“He is educated, he studied at university.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “met3alem” but also “mit3allem”, “met3allem”, “mt3alem”, “mta3lem” and “met3alemm”. 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.