mestfeyel مستفايل
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“mestfeyel” (مستفايل) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning optimistic, confident.
Meanings
- optimistic, confident
- taking it as a good omen
Usage
Mestfeyel comes from fel, "omen". It describes someone who keeps hope for the outcome of a specific situation: a match, an exam, a deal, one's health. Often used in the first person, "ana mestfeyel", frequently followed by "inchallah" or "b7oul allah". The feminine is mestfeyla. The negative form "mehouch mestfeyel" expresses pessimism or apprehension. The register is everyday. The word doesn't exactly match "optimistic" as a character trait: it refers to a specific situation.
Example
أنا مستفايل، إن شاء الله الماتش نربحوه
ana mestfeyel, inchallah el match nerb7ouh
“I'm hopeful, we'll win the match, God willing.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mestfeyel” but also “mestfayel”, “mistfeyel” and “mestfeyl”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.