masafa مسافة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“masafa” (مسافة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning distance.
Meanings
- distance
- gap, space
Usage
A common word in the neutral register, used for the distance between two places or two people. Typical questions: ch7al l-masafa bin… ? (what is the distance between…?), masafa twila or 9sira (long or short distance). To say "it's far" or "it's near", people mostly use b3id and 9rib, without the noun. In the expression masafa dyal…, the duration is often given rather than the kilometres: masafa dyal sa3a (an hour's journey). It is also heard for a safe distance.
Example
مسافة قصيرة ماكسي موخسير
masafa 9sira maxi moxkil
“Short distance, no problem.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “masafa” but also “massafa” and “masafaa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “masafa” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “distance between two points”; “stretch, way to go”: masefa in Tunisian.