mokhtalef مختلف
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“mokhtalef” (مختلف) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning different, distinct.
Meanings
- different, distinct
- various, varied
Usage
Mokhtalef is the common adjective for "different". It is shared by Standard Arabic and derja and is used in all registers. It is constructed with 3la to mark comparison: mokhtalef 3la, "different from". The feminine is mokhtalfa, the plural mokhtalfin. Placed before a plural noun, it takes the sense of "various" or "varied". It is often used to express disagreement: ra'yna mokhtalef, "our opinions differ". Do not confuse it with khtilef, the noun meaning "the difference".
Example
الطقس في الشمال مختلف على الجنوب
e9a9s fel chmel mokhtalef 3al janoub
“The weather in the north is different from the south.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mokhtalef” but also “mo5talef”, “mokhtalif”, “mkhtalef” and “mo5talif”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.