masefa مسافة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“masefa” (مسافة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning distance between two points.
Meanings
- distance between two points
- stretch, way to go
Usage
Masefa is the usual word for distance, whether physical or travelled. This feminine noun is used in phrases such as "masefa twila" (a long distance) or "3la masefa" (at a distance of…). To ask how far a place is, people often say "9addech masefa?" or "9addech b3id?". The word is also used figuratively, as in English: "khalli masefa" means "keep your distance". The popular pronunciation tends toward "mesefa", with closer vowels than in Standard Arabic. Spellings online therefore vary a lot.
Example
قداش مسافة بين تونس وسوسة؟
9addech masefa bin tounes w sousse?
“What is the distance between Tunis and Sousse?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “masefa” but also “masafa”, “mesefa”, “msefa” and “masfa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “masefa” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “distance”; “gap, space”: masafa in Moroccan.