masra7iya مسرحية
Tunisian Derja · noun
“masra7iya” (مسرحية) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning theatre play.
Meanings
- theatre play
- act, staged show (figurative)
Usage
Masra7iya is the usual word for a theatre play. You say "nitfarraj fi masra7iya" (watch a play) or "mchit l masra7iya" (I went to see a play). The plural is masra7iyet. Figuratively, it is used for a situation seen as fake or staged: "hedhi masra7iya", "it's all for show", for example about politics or a faked quarrel. The theatre as a place is rather called masra7. The French "pièce" is also heard, but masra7iya remains the most natural term.
Example
البارح مشينا نتفرجو في مسرحية في المسرح البلدي
lbare7 mchina netfarjou fi masra7iya fel masra7 el baladi
“Yesterday we went to see a play at the Municipal Theatre.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “masra7iya” but also “masra7ia”, “masrahiya” and “masra7eya”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.
Type “masra7iya” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “play (theatre)”; “act, charade (figurative)”: masra7iya in Moroccan.