kif ma كيف ما
Moroccan Darija · conjunction
“kif ma” (كيف ما) is a conjunction in Moroccan Darija meaning as, the way that.
Meanings
- as, the way that
- just as
Usage
Kif ma introduces a comparison of manner: "as, the way that". It is always followed by a conjugated verb: kif ma qolt lik (as I told you), dir kif ma bghiti (do as you like). It should not be confused with kifach, which is used to ask a question ("how?"). Kif ma does not ask a question: it links two clauses. It is often written as one word, kifma. It is a very common construction, used in all registers, in speech and in informal writing. In fast speech, the final a weakens.
Example
دير كيف ما قلت ليك
dir kif ma qolt lik
“Do as I told you.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “kif ma” but also “kif maa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “kif ma” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “as, the same way as”; “the way that, according to what”: kif ma in Tunisian.