khtef خطف
Moroccan Darija · verb
“khtef” (خطف) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to kidnap someone.
Meanings
- to kidnap someone
- to snatch, grab suddenly
- to pop over somewhere quickly
Usage
The verb khtef (imperfect ykhtef) refers to taking someone or something with a quick movement and by surprise. It is used for a kidnapping (khtef lbent, "he kidnapped the girl") as well as for a snatch-and-grab theft (khtfo lih ttilifoun, "they snatched his phone"). Figuratively and informally, it means to drop by in passing: nkhtef l l7anout, "I'm popping over to the grocery shop". The participle mkhtouf describes the kidnapped person. Note: it is not a simple "take", which is khda. Khtef always implies speed or surprise.
Example
البوليسي خطف البنت
lbolici khtatf lbnt
“The policeman kidnapped the girl.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khtef” but also “5tef”, “khtaf”, “khtf” and “5taf”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.
Type “khtef” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to snatch, grab suddenly”; “to abduct, kidnap”: 5taf in Tunisian.