kdeb كدب
Moroccan Darija · verb
“kdeb” (كدب) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to lie.
Meanings
- to lie
- to lie to someone
Usage
Common verb for "to lie". In the past, one says kdeb (he lied). In the imperfective, kaykdeb (he lies). To say "to lie to someone", the preposition 3la is used: kdeb 3liya (he lied to me). The noun for a lie is l-kdoub or kedba (a lie), and a liar is kddab. The register is neutral; a direct accusation, as in katkdeb (you're lying), remains blunt. The d corresponds to a dh in Standard Arabic.
Example
علاش كات كدب؟
3lach kat kdeb?
“Why are you lying?”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kankdb | kdbt | |
| nta (you, m.) | katkdb | kdbti | kdb |
| nti (you, f.) | katkdbi | kdbti | kdbi |
| howa (he) | kaykdb | kdb | |
| hiya (she) | katkdb | kdbat | |
| 7na (we) | kankdbo | kdbna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katkdbo | kdbto | kdbo |
| homa (they) | kaykdbo | kdbo |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “kdeb” but also “kdab”, “kdb”, “kadeb” and “kaykdeb”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.