metsallef متسلف
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“metsallef” (متسلف) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning having borrowed money.
Meanings
- having borrowed money
- in debt to someone
Usage
Metsallef is the participle of the verb tsallef, "to borrow". It describes someone who has borrowed and has not yet repaid. The typical construction is metsallef men 3and followed by the person: "I borrowed from…". It agrees: metsalfa in the feminine, metsalfin in the plural. The register is everyday and neutral, used in family as among friends. Note: for an English speaker, the word does not refer to formal bank debt, which would rather be expressed with crédit. It mainly evokes a loan between close people. The active verb is sallef, "to lend".
Example
أنا متسلّف من عند خويا، لازمني نرجّعلو فلوسو.
ana metsallef men 3and khouya, lazemni nraj3lou flousou.
“I borrowed from my brother, I have to give him back his money.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “metsallef” but also “mitsallef”, “metsalef”, “mtsalef” and “metsellef”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.