kfa كفا
Moroccan Darija · verb
“kfa” (كفا) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to suffice, to be enough.
Meanings
- to suffice, to be enough
- to tip over, to overturn
Usage
In the sense of "to suffice", kfa is mostly constructed with a suffixed pronoun for the person: ma kfanich, "it wasn't enough for me". It is often met in the negative, to say that a quantity or sum is insufficient. The related adjective kafi means "sufficient". In everyday language, however, the idea of "that's enough" more often goes through safi. You also need to know the second sense of kfa, "to overturn, to tip over" a container or an object. So it is not always the context an English speaker would expect. For example, kfa l-kas, "he knocked over the glass".
Example
هاد الخبز ما كفاناش
had l-khobz ma kfanach
“This bread wasn't enough for us.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kankfi | kfit | |
| nta (you, m.) | katkfi | kfiti | kfi |
| nti (you, f.) | katkfi | kfiti | kfi |
| howa (he) | kaykfi | kfa | |
| hiya (she) | katkfi | kfaat | |
| 7na (we) | kankfiw | kfina | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katkfiw | kfito | kfiw |
| homa (they) | kaykfiw | kfao |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “kfa” but also “kfaa” and “kefa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.