kif كيف
Algerian Darja · adverb
“kif” (كيف) is an adverb in Algerian Darja meaning how.
Meanings
- how
- like, similar to
- when, as soon as
Usage
A very versatile word. In questions, it means "how": "kif rak ?" (how are you?). "Kifach" is often preferred for longer questions. It also works as a comparative, "like": "kif bouh" (like his father). The doubled "kif kif" means "the same". Finally, before a verb, it often means "when, as soon as": "kif ja" (when he came). This last use can surprise an English speaker, who will instinctively read it as "how".
Example
كيف راك؟ لاباس؟
kif rak ? labas ?
“How are you? Everything okay?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “kif” but also “kyf”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “kif” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “like, similar to”; “how (in greetings)”: kif in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “like, same as”; “when”: kif in Tunisian.