7ofra حفرة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“7ofra” (حفرة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning hole, hollow in the ground.
Meanings
- hole, hollow in the ground
- pothole in the road
Usage
7ofra is the usual word for a hole dug in the ground or a cavity: a hole in a garden, a pit, and very often a pothole in the road, a frequent subject of complaints from drivers. The plural is 7ofar. One says ta7 fi 7ofra (to fall into a hole) or 7far 7ofra (to dig a hole). Figuratively, the expression 7far 7ofra lghirou (to dig a hole for someone else) means setting a trap for them. For a hole in a piece of clothing or in a wall, other words are used instead, such as thogba.
Example
فما حفرة كبيرة في الثنية قدام الدار
fama 7ofra kbira fel thneya 9odem el dar
“There's a big hole in the road in front of the house.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7ofra” but also “hofra”, “7afra” and “7oufra”. 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 “7ofra” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “hole, pit”; “pothole in the road”: 7ofra in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “hole, pit”; “pothole”: hofra in Algerian.