7tafed حتافض
Moroccan Darija · verb
“7tafed” (حتافض) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to keep, hold on to.
Meanings
- to keep, hold on to
- to preserve, look after
Usage
The verb ḥtafeḍ, imperfect yḥtafeḍ, is most often constructed with b-: "ḥtafeḍ b had l-waraqa" (keep this paper), "ḥtafeḍ b ṣeḥḥtek" (take care of your health). It has a somewhat formal tone, coming from Standard Arabic. In colloquial speech, people more readily say khlli or ḥḍi for "keep" or "watch over". It is frequently found in instructions, advice and administrative contexts, for example to keep a receipt or retain a document. In arabizi, the emphatic consonant is often written with a capital D.
Example
حتافض بهاد الورقة، غادي تحتاجها
7tafeD b had lwar9a, ghadi t7tajha
“Keep this paper, you're going to need 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) | kan7tafD | 7tafDt | |
| nta (you, m.) | kat7tafD | 7tafDti | 7tafD |
| nti (you, f.) | kat7tafDi | 7tafDti | 7tafDi |
| howa (he) | kay7tafD | 7tafD | |
| hiya (she) | kat7tafD | 7tafDat | |
| 7na (we) | kan7tafDo | 7tafDna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | kat7tafDo | 7tafDto | 7tafDo |
| homa (they) | kay7tafDo | 7tafDo |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7tafed” but also “7tafd” and “htafed”. 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.