3orfi عرفي
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“3orfi” (عرفي) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning customary, unofficial.
Meanings
- customary, unofficial
- conventional, customary
Usage
The adjective 3orfi describes what rests on custom rather than on written law. In Morocco it is heard mostly in zwaj 3orfi, a marriage contracted by custom, without a registered official act. It is then contrasted with rrasmi, "the official one". It also appears in legal or administrative vocabulary for a customary right or agreement. The register is rather serious, but everyone understands the word. Do not confuse it with the imperative of 3ref (3erfi, "know", feminine), which is spelled the same in Arabic.
Example
راه عرفي هادشي باقي ما دزنا الرسمي
rah 3orfi hadchi ba9i ma dezna lrasmi
“This marriage is customary, we haven't done the official one yet.”
Forms
| feminine | 3orfia |
|---|---|
| plural | 3orfiyin |
Forms as recorded in DODa, in its spelling.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3orfi” but also “3orfiya”, “3orfy” and “orfi”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.