tfa7 تفاح
Moroccan Darija · noun
“tfa7” (تفاح) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning apples (collective).
Meanings
- apples (collective)
- apple tree, fruit in general
Usage
tffa7 is a collective noun: it refers to apples in general or in quantity, as a fruit you buy at the market. For a single apple, use the singular tffa7a; for several counted apples, tffa7at (jouj tffa7at, two apples). The initial t is often pronounced doubled (tteffa7), hence the varied spellings. The variety is specified with an adjective: tffa7 lkhder (green apples), tffa7 l7mer (red apples). Pitfall for an English speaker: with the collective, agreement is often masculine singular (had tffa7 7lou), even when you are thinking of several fruits.
Example
ماكيعجبنيش تفاح الخضر
maki3jbnich tefa7 lkhdr
“I don't like green apples.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tfa7” but also “tefa7”, “tffa7”, “tfah” and “teffa7”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.
Type “tfa7” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “apple(s)”; “apple flavour (shisha, pastry)”: teffe7 in Tunisian.