bezzaf بزاف
Algerian Darja · adverb
“bezzaf” (بزاف) is an adverb in Algerian Darja meaning a lot, much.
Meanings
- a lot, much
- very
- too, too much
Usage
Bezzaf is one of the most frequent words in Darja. It goes after the verb (nhabbou bezzaf, "I like it a lot") or after the adjective (s'hiba bezzaf, "very difficult"). Before a noun, bezzaf men or bezzaf n- is often used (bezzaf men ennass, "a lot of people"). The pitfall is the nuance between "very" and "too": only context and intonation distinguish them. Thqila bezzaf can therefore mean "very heavy" or "too heavy". The word is used in all registers. Its common opposite is chwiya, "a little".
Example
هاد الماكلة بنينة بزاف
had el makla bnina bezzaf
“This dish is very good.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bezzaf” but also “bzaf”, “bezaf”, “bzzaf”, “bezef” and “b'zaf”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find بزاف and بالزاف, all the same word.
Type “bezzaf” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “very (before an adjective)”; “a lot, in large quantity”: bzaf in Moroccan.