mkhalfa مخالفة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“mkhalfa” (مخالفة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning fine, ticket.
Meanings
- fine, ticket
- offence, violation (of a rule)
- disagreement, opposition
Usage
In everyday life, mkhalfa mainly means the fine issued by the police, especially when driving: khlast mkhalfa ("I paid a fine"), 3tani mkhalfa ("he gave me a ticket"). In a more formal register, such as the media or political speech, the word means "offence" or "breach": mkhalfa lil qanoun ("offence against the law"). The sense of opposition or disagreement also exists, but it belongs rather to a formal register. The common plural is mkhalfet. It is readily used with the verbs khallas (to pay) and ta3ta (to receive, to be given).
Example
البوليس عطاني مخالفة على خاطر ما لبستش الحزام.
el police 3tani mkhalfa 3la khater ma lbestech el 7zem.
“The policeman gave me a fine because I hadn't put on my seatbelt.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mkhalfa” but also “mo5alfa”, “mukhalafa” and “m5alfa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.