wa9ef واقف
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“wa9ef” (واقف) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning standing.
Meanings
- standing
- stopped, stationary
- supporting someone
Usage
Wa9ef is a participle used as an adjective. Its primary meaning is "standing", as opposed to "seated" (9a3ed). It agrees in gender and number: wa9fa in the feminine, wa9fin in the plural. It is also used for an immobile thing: "el karhba wa9fa", the car is stopped. For a stalled matter, people say "el 5edma wa9fa", the work is at a standstill. Figuratively, "wa9ef m3aya" means that a person is standing by you in a hardship. The word is very common and neutral in register. The "9" represents the q sound, pronounced at the back of the throat.
Example
علاش واقف؟ اقعد.
3lech wa9ef? o93ed.
“Why are you standing? Sit down.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “wa9ef” but also “we9ef”, “waqef”, “wa9if”, “wakef” and “wa9iff”. 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.