jeff جفّ
Moroccan Darija · verb
“jeff” (جفّ) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to dry up (water, spring).
Meanings
- to dry up (water, spring)
- to wipe dry, to mop (form jeffef)
Usage
Jeff is an intransitive verb. It is said of water that disappears: a well, a wadi or a spring "dries up". Example: lbir jeff, "the well has dried up". The intensive form jeffef is transitive and means "to wipe dry, to mop". It is often used for a wet floor, in the sense of mopping. For laundry that is drying, people say nchef or ybes instead. So jeff, "to dry up", must be kept distinct from jeffef, "to dry by wiping".
Example
البير جفّ هاد العام
lbir jeff had l3am
“The well dried up this year.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kanjeff | jeffit | |
| nta (you, m.) | katjeff | jeffiti | jeff |
| nti (you, f.) | katjeffi | jeffiti | jffi |
| howa (he) | kayjeff | jeff | |
| hiya (she) | katjeff | jeffat | |
| 7na (we) | kanjeffo | jeffina | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katjeffo | jeffito | jffo |
| homa (they) | kayjeffo | jeffo |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “jeff” but also “jef”, “jffef” and “jeffef”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.