3fes عفس
Tunisian Derja · verb
“3fes” (عفس) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to step on, to trample.
Meanings
- to step on, to trample
- to crush, to walk all over someone
- to stub out with the foot
Usage
The verb 3fes means "to step on, to put one's foot on" and is used with 3la or fi: 3fes 3la rjel, "he stepped on my foot". It is also used for a cigarette stubbed out with the foot. Figuratively, ya3fes fih means "to crush him, to treat him with no regard", for example a boss toward an employee. The register is informal and everyday. The imperfective is ya3fes and the imperative o3fes. It is also used, with 3la, for an accelerator or brake pedal.
Example
زيد عرفوا يعفس فيه تخدم في تونس تتضل ,
zid 3arfou ya3fis fih te5dem fi tunis titdhèl ,
“On top of that, his boss walks all over him: when you work in Tunis, you get humiliated.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3fes” but also “3afes”, “3fas”, “afes” and “3fess”. 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.