dfen دفن
Moroccan Darija · verb
“dfen” (دفن) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to bury, inter.
Meanings
- to bury, inter
- to hide, bury away
Usage
The verb dfen means to bury, first of all in the funeral sense: people say dfnouh, "they buried him". It is also used for an object that is buried in the ground or hidden. Figuratively, it is used to hush up an affair or to forget a problem. The expression sir dfen rasek, literally "go bury yourself", is a contemptuous brush-off meaning "disappear" or "you're useless". It is offensive and is used only between close people or in an argument. The corresponding noun is d-dfin, the burial.
Example
دفنوه البارح فالمقبرة
dfnouh lbare7 f lme9bra
“They buried him yesterday in the cemetery.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kandfn | dfnt | |
| nta (you, m.) | katdfn | dfnti | dfn |
| nti (you, f.) | katdfni | dfnti | dfni |
| howa (he) | kaydfn | dfn | |
| hiya (she) | katdfn | dfnat | |
| 7na (we) | kandfno | dfnna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katdfno | dfnto | dfno |
| homa (they) | kaydfno | dfno |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dfen” but also “dfn”, “dfan” and “defen”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “dfen” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “bury, inter”; “hide, hush up (an affair, a secret)”: dfen in Tunisian.