bsodfa بصدفة
Moroccan Darija · adverb
“bsodfa” (بصدفة) is an adverb in Moroccan Darija meaning by chance.
Meanings
- by chance
Usage
B sodfa means "by chance". It is used for an unexpected meeting or discovery: "tlaqit m3ah b sodfa" (I ran into him by chance). The expression often comes at the end of the sentence. With the article, you also say "b ssodfa". The register is neutral and everyday. To ask "you wouldn't happen to have...?", other phrasings are often used, such as "wach 3endek chi...". For the noun "chance" alone, you say sodfa. Latin spellings vary a lot, because the vowel is short and word separation is not fixed.
Example
تلاقيت معاه بالصدفة فالزنقة
tlaqit m3ah b sodfa f zenqa
“I ran into him by chance in the street.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bsodfa” but also “bssodfa” and “bsdfa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.