weld khali ولد خالي
Tunisian Derja · expression
“weld khali” (ولد خالي) is an expression in Tunisian Derja meaning my cousin (maternal uncle's son).
Meanings
- my cousin (maternal uncle's son)
Usage
Weld khali literally means "the son of my maternal uncle". Derja distinguishes cousins precisely by family branch: weld 3ammi (paternal uncle's son), weld khali (maternal uncle's son), weld 3ammti (paternal aunt's son), weld khalti (maternal aunt's son). English "cousin" does not make this distinction, which often trips up English speakers. The feminine is bent khali, the plural wled khali. The possessive changes with the person: weld khalek (your cousin), weld khalou (his cousin). Common, neutral register, used within the family as well as in ordinary conversation.
Example
ولد خالي جاء من فرنسا البارح.
weld khali ja mel fransa lbare7.
“My cousin (my maternal uncle's son) arrived from France yesterday.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “weld khali” but also “wled khali”, “ould khali”, “weld 5ali” and “wild khali”. 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.
Type “weld khali” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “my cousin (maternal uncle's son)”: wld khali in Moroccan.