fi ف
Algerian Darja · preposition
“fi” (ف) is a preposition in Algerian Darja meaning in, at (place).
Meanings
- in, at (place)
- during, in (time)
Usage
F is the short form of fi, the basic preposition for locating something in space or time: f dar (at home), f triq (on the road), f sif (in summer). Before the article it often fuses with it: fel or f'l (f el khedma, at work). In writing it appears both attached to the following word and separate. It covers "in", "at" and "on" alike, so an English speaker should not look for a separate preposition for each case. With pronouns, the full form returns: fih, fiha, fina.
Example
راني ف الدار
rani f dar
“I'm at home.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “fi” but also “f”, “fel” and “f'”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “fi” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “in, at (place)”; “at, in (time)”: fi in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
The same word also exists in Tunisian Derja, written في, where it means “in, at, on (place, time)”; “about, in (after some verbs)”: fi in Tunisian.