khaf خاف
Algerian Darja · verb
“khaf” (خاف) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning to be afraid, fear.
Meanings
- to be afraid, fear
- to worry about someone
Usage
Khaf means "to be afraid". The present is ykhaf (he is afraid), and the negative imperative ma tkhafech means "don't be afraid". The preposition changes the meaning: khaf men (to be afraid of something) and khaf ʿla (to worry about someone, to fear for them). The second construction often expresses tenderness or protectiveness, for example a mother who khaf ʿla wlidha. The participle khayef means "frightened" or "fearful". Khaf rebbi (to fear God) is also used to describe an honest, scrupulous person.
Example
ماتخافش، راني معاك.
ma tkhafech, rani m3ak.
“Don't be afraid, I'm with you.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khaf” but also “5af” and “khef”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.
Type “khaf” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to be afraid, to fear”; “to fear (God), to respect”: khaf in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to be afraid, to fear”; “to worry about someone”: 5af in Tunisian.