weldi ولدي
Tunisian Derja · noun
“weldi” (ولدي) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning my son.
Meanings
- my son
- my boy (affectionate address)
Usage
Weldi is "wled" (son, boy) followed by the possessive "-i" (my). Literally, it is "my son". Very often it is used as a form of address, "ya weldi", by an older person to a boy or young man who is not their child: it is a mark of kindly familiarity, sometimes of condescension, a bit like "my boy" or "son". It is also heard as an interjection of weariness or surprise between adults ("ya weldi, chbik?"). The plural is "wledi" (my children), which also covers children of both sexes.
Example
ولدي يقرا في الجامعة
weldi ya9ra fel jem3a
“My son studies at the university.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “weldi” but also “wldi”, “waldi”, “ouldi” and “ouledi”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “weldi” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “my son”; “my boy (affectionate address)”: wldi in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “my son”; “my boy, son (affectionate)”: waldi in Algerian.