alfin الفين
Algerian Darja · numeral
“alfin” (الفين) is a numeral in Algerian Darja meaning two thousand.
Meanings
- two thousand
- two thousand (in years)
Usage
Alfin is the dual of alf, "thousand". It therefore means "two thousand" without adding the word for "two". It is used for prices, quantities and especially years: alfin w tlata, "two thousand and three". The counted noun follows directly: alfin dinar. One pitfall to note: in conversation, amounts are often expressed in douros or in old units. Alfin can then refer to a different sum from what an English speaker expects. It is best to check the unit.
Example
شريتها بألفين دينار
chritha b alfin dinar
“I bought it for two thousand dinars.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “alfin” but also “alfine”, “elfin”, “alfayn” and “alfeyn”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “alfin” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “two thousand”: alfin in Moroccan.