yelli ياللي
Tunisian Derja · expression
“yelli” (ياللي) is an expression in Tunisian Derja meaning O you who….
Meanings
- O you who…
Usage
Ya elli combines the vocative ya and the relative elli (who). It is used to address someone by what they do or what they are: ya elli t7ebni (you who love me). The construction is mainly poetic and affectionate: it is found in songs, popular poems, dedications and sentimental messages. It can also be used to call someone out with reproach or irony: ya elli ma t7echmech (you who have no shame). The verb that follows is conjugated in the second person. In arabizi, it is written as one block or as two words.
Example
يا اللي فرّحتني، ربي يخليك
ya elli far7tni, rabbi ykhallik
“You who made me happy, may God keep you.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “yelli” but also “yalli” and “yali”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find ياللي and يالي, all the same word.