khfif خفيف
Algerian Darja · adjective
“khfif” (خفيف) is an adjective in Algerian Darja meaning light.
Meanings
- light
- funny, likeable (dem khfif)
- quick, agile
Usage
Khfif first means "light", for a weight, a meal or a weak drink ("qahwa khfifa", a light coffee). Its most frequent figurative use is "demmou khfif", literally "his blood is light". The expression describes a funny, pleasant person, and it is constantly seen in compliments to content creators. The opposite is "demmou t9il", for someone heavy or unpleasant. Khfif also describes someone lively or agile: "khfif f lkhedma". The feminine is khfifa.
Example
هاد الشكارة خفيفة، نهزها وحدي.
had chkara khfifa, nhezha wa7di.
“This bag is light, I'll carry it myself.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khfif” but also “5fif”, “khfiif” and “khefif”. 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 “khfif” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “light (weight, intensity)”; “quick, agile”: khfif in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “light (weight, meal, taste)”; “quick, nimble”: khfif in Tunisian.