malaf ملف
Tunisian Derja · noun
“malaf” (ملف) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning file (administrative, application).
Meanings
- file (administrative, application)
- case, issue (legal, political)
- computer file
Usage
Malaf first refers to the file one puts together for a procedure: an application, a competitive exam, an enrolment or an administrative request. One says 9addem malaf, "to submit a file". In the news, the word also refers to an affair followed by the courts or the media, such as a corruption case. In computing, it means "file", but many Tunisians simply say fichier or dossier in French. The plural is malaffèt. The register is neutral and slightly administrative.
Example
حضّرت الملف متاع الكونكور
7adhart el malaf mta3 el concours
“I prepared the file for the competitive exam.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “malaf” but also “milef”, “mlaf” and “malef”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “malaf” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “file (administrative)”; “case, issue being handled”: milaf in Moroccan.