mgayel مقيل
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“mgayel” (مقيل) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning lying down, stretched out.
Meanings
- lying down, stretched out
- lounging, idle
Usage
Mgayyel comes from the qayla, the nap and rest taken during the hot hours. It describes someone lying or stretched out somewhere, often to rest. By extension, it refers to someone lounging around doing nothing, with a hint of reproach: "ga3ed mgayyel" means he's taking it easy. The feminine is mgayla, and the same form is also used for the informal plural, as in "wled el 7ouma mgayla". The g reflects the Tunisian pronunciation of the qaf. Informal register.
Example
لقيتو مقيّل في الصالة يتفرّج في التلفزة
l9itou mgayyel fes-sala yetfarrej fet-televza
“I found him lying in the living room, watching TV.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mgayel” but also “mgayyel”, “m9ayel” and “mgayl”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.