tnfe3 تنفع
Moroccan Darija · verb
“tnfe3” (تنفع) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to be useful, to serve.
Meanings
- to be useful, to serve
- to suit, to do
Usage
Conjugated form of the verb nfe3 "to be useful, to be of use for something": tenfe3 corresponds to "she is useful" or "you are useful" in the imperfect. The construction is direct: tenfe3 bladek (useful to your country), had l-7aja ma-tenfe3nich (this thing is of no use to me). It is used a lot in the negative: ma-kaynfe3 walou (it's useless). It can also mean "to suit, to do": had s-sbbat ma-ynfe3nich (these shoes don't fit me). The related noun is nef3 or manfa3a (usefulness, benefit).
Example
عمرك جربتي تبتكر شي حاجة تنفع بلادك
3emrek jerebti tebtaker chi 7aja tnfe3 bladek
“Have you ever tried to invent something useful for your country?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tnfe3” but also “tenfe3”, “tanfa3”, “tnf3” and “tenfa3”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.
Type “tnfe3” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to be useful, to serve”; “to suit, to do the job”: tenfa3 in Algerian.