weld khalti ولد خالتي
Tunisian Derja · expression
“weld khalti” (ولد خالتي) is an expression in Tunisian Derja meaning my maternal cousin (aunt's son).
Meanings
- my maternal cousin (aunt's son)
Usage
weld khalti refers specifically to the son of the mother's sister. Tounsi distinguishes four types of cousins according to the family branch: weld 3ammi (son of the paternal uncle), weld 3amti (son of the paternal aunt), weld khali (son of the maternal uncle) and weld khalti. For a female cousin, one says bent khalti. The possessive changes with the person: weld khaltek (your cousin), weld khaltou (his cousin). An English speaker should avoid translating systematically as "cousin" when the distinction matters in the conversation.
Example
ولد خالتي جاي من فرانسا الصيف هذا.
weld khalti jey men fransa e-sif hedha.
“My maternal aunt's son is coming from France this summer.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “weld khalti” but also “wled khalti”, “weld 5alti” and “wild khalti”. 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 khalti” 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 aunt's son)”: wld khalti in Moroccan.