Darija lesson 59: leave it till tomorrow

1

Twenty-four words

Appointments, changes, and the phone. Rundivu, from French, lives beside maw3id: the first with friends, the second at the doctor's.

The appointment

الْمَوْعِدْ l-maw3id appointment
Doctor, office.
الرُّوندِيفُو r-rundivu date; meeting (casual)
From French rendez-vous.
تْلَاقَى tlaqa to meet up
Form VI: both sides.
تّْفَاهْمْ ttfahem to agree; come to terms
مْتَّافْقِينْ mttafqin agreed (plural)

Changing it

أَخّْرْ akhkher to postpone
قَدّْمْ qeddem to bring forward
لْغَى lgha to cancel
بْدّْلْ beddel to change
أَكّْدْ akked to confirm

On the phone

عَيّْطْ لْ 3eyyet l to call (someone)
هَزّْ hezz to pick up (the phone)
“Lift”.
مْشْغُولْ mshghul busy; engaged
الْمِيسَاجْ l-misaj text message
سْمْعْ لِيَّ sme3 liyya listen to me
تّْقْطْعْ ttqte3 to cut out; get cut off

With khelli

خَلِّينِي khellini let me
خَلِّينَا khellina let's
Literally “let us”: the “us” is there.
خَلِّيهَا لْغْدّْ khelliha l ghedd leave it till tomorrow
-ha, “it”, the matter.
يَلَّاهْ yallah come on; let's go

Set phrases

وَاشْ مْنَاسْبْ لِيكْ؟ wash mnaseb lik? does that suit you?
مَا عْنْدِي مَانْعْ ma-3ndi mane3 I don't mind
سْمْحْ لِيَّ sme7 liyya sorry; excuse me
طَرَا لِيَّ شِي حَاجَة tra liyya shi 7aja something's come up
The universal excuse.

2

Khelli: let, leave, suggest

Four lines from a phone call. Look at the ending on khelli and the verb after it.

طَرَا لِيَّ شِي حَاجَة، خَلِّيهَا لْغْدّْtra liyya shi 7aja, khelliha l ghedd
خَلِّينِي نْشُوفْ الْأَجَنْدَة وْ نْعَيّْطْ لِيكْkhellini nshuf l-ajenda u n3eyyet lik
خَلِّينَا نْتْلَاقَاوْ مْعَ الْعَشْرَةkhellina ntlaqaw m3a l-3ashra
يَلَّاهْ نْبْدَاوْyallah nbdaw

What pronoun is attached to khelli each time? Does the verb after it take ka-?

The rule

khelli + pronoun + verb without ka-:

khellini nshuf, let me see: asking for time.

khellina ntlaqaw, let's meet: suggesting.

khellih ydkhul, let him in: allowing.

khelli + thing + l + time: postponing. khelliha l ghedd, leave it till tomorrow.

yallah + we-form: yallah nmshiw, come on, let's go. More direct than khellina.

To several people, khelliw: khelliwni nhder, let me speak.

Forms of khelli

Form	Say it	Means
خَلِّينِي نْشُوفْ	khellini nshuf	let me see
خَلِّينِي نْفَكّْرْ شْوِيَّة	khellini nfekker shwiyya	let me think about it
خَلِّينَا نْتْلَاقَاوْ نْهَارْ السّْبْتْ	khellina ntlaqaw nhar s-sebt	let's meet on Saturday
يَلَّاهْ نْمْشِيوْ	yallah nmshiw	come on, let's go
خَلِّيهَا لْغْدّْ	khelliha l ghedd	leave it till tomorrow
خَلِّي الْمَوْعِدْ لْلْجُمْعَة الْجَّايَّة	khelli l-maw3id l l-jum3a j-jayya	move the appointment to next week
خَلِّيهْ يْدْخُلْ	khellih ydkhul	let him in
خَلِّيوْنِي نْهْضَرْ	khelliwni nhder	let me speak (to several)

Every verb after khelli: no ka-.

What English gives you, and what it costs

Free: “let me see”, “let him in”. Same shape: khelli + person + bare verb.

Free: no “to” after “let”. No particle after khelli either.

Costly: “let's” hides the “us”; khellina doesn't. And “leave it till” needs l, not a word for “until”.

Your mistake, not someone else's

“I'm seeing” and “let me see” feel different in English, but you might still reach for ka- because the present in Darija usually has it. Not after khelli.

×خَلِّينِي كَنْشُوفْka- after khelli.

✓خَلِّينِي نْشُوفْ“Let me see”.

khellini kanshuf sounds like “leave me, I'm looking”.

3

Calling the clinic

A dialogue written for this lesson. A patient calls to move an appointment. Notice how the receptionist offers options and he accepts.

— أَلُو، عِيَادَة الدُّكْتُورْ بْنَّانِي، مْعَاكْ السِّكْرِيتِيرَة.

— السّْلَامْ، أَنَا يُوسْفْ. عْنْدِي مَوْعِدْ غْدَّا مْعَ الْعَشْرَة، وْ طَرَا لِيَّ شِي حَاجَة فْالْخْدْمَة.

— مَا كَايْنْ مُشْكِلْ. بْغِيتِي تْأَخّْرُو وْلَّا تْلْغِيهْ؟

— لَا، مَا تْلْغِيهْشْ. خَلِّيهْ لْنْهَارْ الْخْمِيسْ إِلَا كَانْ مُمْكِنْ.

— خَلِّينِي نْشُوفْ… الْخْمِيسْ عْنْدْنَا غِيرْ مْعَ الْأَرْبْعَة دْ الْعْشِيَّة. وَاشْ مْنَاسْبْ لِيكْ؟

— الْأَرْبْعَة… مَا عْنْدِي مَانْعْ. غَادِي نْخْرُجْ بْكْرِي مْنْ الْخْدْمَة.

— مْزْيَانْ. غَادِي نْصِيفْطْ لِيكْ مِيسَاجْ بَاشْ تْأَكّْدْ. جِيبْ مْعَاكْ التَّحَالِيلْ.

— وَاخَّا. شُكْرًا، وْ سْمْحِي لِيَّ عْلَى التَّبْدِيلْ.

Moving an appointment

Did you follow?

When was the appointment?
Show answers
Tomorrow at ten.
Why is he changing it?
Show answers
Something's come up at work.
When is the new one?
Show answers
Thursday at four in the afternoon.
What should he bring?
Show answers
His test results.

4

Check

Two here, three more in the B1 book.

Exercises 1 and 2 are here, with answers. Exercises 3 to 5 are in the B1 book, the PDF this site lives on: you can see the first item of each below.

1Fill the gap

The right form of khelli, or yallah.

خلينيخليناخليهايلاه

___ نشوف الأجندة ديالي
___ نتلاقاو فالقهوة
أنا عيان اليوم، ___ لغد
___ نمشيو، راه تعطلنا

2Pick the right one

The verb correctly placed after khelli.

1. خَلِّينِي نْفَكّْرْ
2. خَلِّينِي كَنْفَكّْرْ
3. خَلِّينِي فَكّْرْتْ
1. خَلِّينَا نْتْلَاقَاوْ
2. خَلِّينَا نْتْلَاقَى
3. خَلِّينَا تْلَاقِينَا
1. خَلِّيهْ يْدْخُلْ
2. خَلِّيهْ دْخُلْ
3. خَلِّيهْ كَيْدْخُلْ

3True or false?

According to the call.

Yusef had an appointment for tomorrow.

The rest is in the B1 book

3 more items, with the answers.

The B1 book

4Say it with khelli

Rewrite each sentence with the form of khelli the brackets ask for.

بْغِيتْ نْشُوفْ (اقْتَرْحْ)

The rest is in the B1 book

3 more items, with the answers.

The B1 book

5Your call

Write a short dialogue moving a meeting with a friend.

الْمَوْعِدْخَلِّيهَاطَرَا لِيَّوَاشْ مْنَاسْبْ لِيكْ؟مَا عْنْدِي مَانْعْ

The rest is in the B1 book

The B1 book

Show answers

1. Fill the gap	خليني · خلينا · خليها · يلاه
2. Pick the right one	1-a, 2-a, 3-a

The B1 book: In preparation

Write and I will tell you the day it is out. One email, no list.

Tell me when it is out

I can now

Ask for time with khellini.
Suggest with khellina and yallah.
Postpone with khelliha l.
Change an appointment by phone.