fayda فائدة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“fayda” (فائدة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning use, point, purpose.
Meanings
- use, point, purpose
- benefit, advantage
Usage
The word fayda is used mostly in negative or interrogative phrases to say that something is pointless: "ma fammech fayda" (it's no use), "chnowa el fayda?" (what's the point?), "mélou fayda" (it has no use). It is also heard in the positive sense of benefit, for example about a food or a piece of advice, with "fih fayda". The register is common and neutral, in speech and in writing. Note: in everyday conversation the word does not refer to bank interest. It is closer to the idea of "interest" in the sense of "worth the trouble".
Example
شنوّة الفايدة كان تمشي توّا؟ الحانوت مسكّر.
chnowa el fayda ken temchi tawa? el 7anout msakker.
“What's the point of going now? The shop is closed.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “fayda” but also “faida”, “fay2da”, “faidaa” and “feyda”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 2 is hamza (ء), a glottal stop.