fil فيل
Tunisian Derja · noun
“fil” (فيل) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning elephant.
Meanings
- elephant
Usage
Fil means the elephant, the animal. The plural is fyoula. It is mostly encountered when talking about the zoo, documentaries or children's stories. Figuratively, calling someone "fil" means they are very big or clumsy, and it is mocking. Note that the Arabic spelling فيل also transcribes the French "ville", as in "centre ville" or "gaz de ville". It is then not the same word. Context is enough to tell them apart.
Example
الصغار حبّوا يشوفو الفيل في الزو.
essghar 7abbou ychoufou el fil fel zoo.
“The kids wanted to see the elephant at the zoo.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “fil” but also “fiil”, “feel” and “fyoula”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “fil” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “elephant”: fil in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “elephant”; “big, heavy person (informal)”: fil in Algerian.