tnarfez تنرفز
Tunisian Derja · verb
“tnarfez” (تنرفز) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to get worked up, lose one's temper.
Meanings
- to get worked up, lose one's temper
- to be annoying (she/it)
Usage
Tnarfez is an adapted borrowing from French "nerveux" or "énerver", fully integrated into Tunisian conjugation: yetnarfez, "he gets worked up", ma tetnarfezch, "don't get worked up". In the past, tnarfez means "he got worked up". The same form can also be read as "she annoys" or "it annoys", for example when talking about an irritating habit. The register is familiar and very common in speech. It is pronounced with an f or a v depending on the speaker. The corresponding noun is narfza, "irritation".
Example
ما تتنرفزش، توة نحلوها
ma tetnarfezch, tawa n7elouha
“Don't get worked up, we'll sort it out right away.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tnarfez” but also “tnarvez”, “tnarfiz” and “tnerfez”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.