7fer حفر
Moroccan Darija · verb
“7fer” (حفر) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to dig (earth, a hole).
Meanings
- to dig (earth, a hole)
- to dig into, investigate
Usage
7fer is the usual verb for "to dig". It is used for a hole, a well or a grave. It is conjugated regularly: 7fert, "I dug", and kay7fer, "he digs". Figuratively, it can mean to dig into a matter or try to find something out. A very well-known proverb uses it: li 7fer chi 7ofra kiTi7 fiha, "whoever digs a hole for others falls into it". This equivalent of "the biter bit" warns against ill intentions. It is also used to mean "to set a trap" for someone, with the preposition l.
Example
لي حفر شي حفرة كيتيح فيها
li 7fer chi 7ofra kiti7 fiha
“Whoever digs a hole (for others) ends up falling into it.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kan7fr | 7frt | |
| nta (you, m.) | kat7fr | 7frti | 7fr |
| nti (you, f.) | kat7fri | 7frti | 7fri |
| howa (he) | kay7fr | 7fr | |
| hiya (she) | kat7fr | 7frat | |
| 7na (we) | kan7fro | 7frna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | kat7fro | 7frto | 7fro |
| homa (they) | kay7fro | 7fro |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7fer” but also “7far”, “7fr”, “hfer” and “hfar”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.
Type “7fer” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to dig (earth, a hole)”; “to dig into, probe deeply”: 7far in Tunisian.