nfa5 نفخ
Tunisian Derja · verb
“nfa5” (نفخ) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to inflate.
Meanings
- to inflate
- to blow (on)
- to exaggerate
Usage
Nfakh first means to inflate by blowing: a balloon, a tyre, a mattress. It also means to blow on something, for example on soup to cool it or on embers: nfakh 3al jamr. Figuratively, nfakh an affair means to blow it up or exaggerate it. The passive tnfakh means "to swell, to puff up", for a body part or a bloated belly. The noun nfakh also refers to swelling or bloating. The verb is conjugated regularly: nanfakh, yanfakh. The register is common and neutral.
Example
نفخ البالون للصغير
nfakh el ballon lel sghir
“He inflated the balloon for the little one.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “nfa5” but also “nfakh” and “nfekh”. 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.