dfa دفى
Tunisian Derja · verb
“dfa” (دفى) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to become lukewarm, to warm up.
Meanings
- to become lukewarm, to warm up
- to feel warm after cold
Usage
The verb dfa (imperfective yedfa) means to become lukewarm or to warm up. It describes a moderate, pleasant warmth, never intense heat. It is used for a person warming up after being cold (dfit, "I warmed up"), for a room, or for food. In cooking, it can also refer to a very hot liquid left to cool down to a lukewarm temperature. The corresponding adjective is dafi, "lukewarm, warm". For real heat, one would rather say skhon or sakhen. The word belongs to everyday, informal register.
Example
القليان هو السر يلزم تسخّن الزيت وبعد طفّي عليه خلّيه يدفى
Il9alyen houwa esser yelzem tsakhen ezzit wba3d tafi alih khalih yedfei
“The secret of frying is that you have to heat the oil, then turn off the heat and let it cool to lukewarm.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dfa” but also “yedfa”, “dfe”, “edfa” and “dfé”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.