tfadhel تفضل
Tunisian Derja · expression
“tfadhel” (تفضل) is an expression in Tunisian Derja meaning here you are (handing something).
Meanings
- here you are (handing something)
- come in, help yourself
- please, go ahead
Usage
Tfaddel is a very frequent polite formula. It is said when handing over an object ("here you are"), when inviting someone to come in, sit down or help themselves at the table, or when giving way to someone to speak or pass. It agrees with the person addressed: tfaddel for the masculine, tfadhli for the feminine, tfadhlou for the plural or the polite form. It is often paired with "sidi" or "madame" in shops. For an English speaker, note that it is not a simple "please" of request: it is an offer, made by the one giving.
Example
تفضّل اقعد، القهوة جاية.
tfaddel o93od, el9ahwa jeya.
“Please, sit down, the coffee is coming.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tfadhel” but also “tfadel”, “tfaddal” and “tfaddel”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “tfadhel” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “please, come in”; “help yourself, here you are”: tfeddel in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “please, come in, help yourself”; “to prefer (conjugated form of feddel)”: tfadal in Algerian.