seff صف
Algerian Darja · noun
“seff” (صف) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning row, line.
Meanings
- row, line
- prayer row
Usage
Seff means a row of people or objects lined up: a row of pupils, a row of chairs, and above all the row of worshippers at prayer (ed-seff el lowel, the first row). The plural is sfouf. For the queue in front of a counter, many Algerians prefer la chaîne, borrowed from French. The same root gives the verb seff or seffef ("to line up, to arrange"): seffi el kisan, arrange the glasses. Do not confuse it with saf, which means "it's over, enough" in some regions.
Example
التلاميذ وقفو صف قدام القسم.
et-tlamid wagfou seff gouddam el qism.
“The pupils lined up in front of the classroom.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “seff” but also “sef”, “saf” and “saff”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “seff” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “row, line”; “queue”: sef in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “waiting line, queue”; “row, rank”: sof in Tunisian.