stenzef ستنزف
Moroccan Darija · verb
“stenzef” (ستنزف) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to deplete a resource.
Meanings
- to deplete a resource
- to wear out one's strength, exhaust oneself
Usage
Stenzef is a verb borrowed from Standard Arabic. It belongs to a formal or journalistic register: it is used for natural resources (water, oil), for money, or for physical and mental strength. It takes a direct object, often reinforced by ga3 ("all"): stenzef ga3 lflous. In everyday conversation, people more readily say sala ("to finish") or kemmel. The passive or reflexive sense is expressed with forms such as tstenzef ("to be exhausted"). The corresponding noun is stinzaf, heard notably in expressions like stinzaf lma ("depletion of water").
Example
إمتا غادي ساعودييا ستنزف ڭاع لپترول لي عندها
imta ghadi sa3oudiya stenzef ga3 lpetrole li 3endha
“When will Saudi Arabia use up all the oil it has?”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kanstenzef | stenzeft | |
| nta (you, m.) | katstenzef | stenzefti | stenzef |
| nti (you, f.) | katstenzfi | stenzefti | stenzfi |
| howa (he) | kaystenzef | stenzef | |
| hiya (she) | katstenzef | stenzefat | |
| 7na (we) | kanstenzfo | stenzefna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katstenzfo | stenzefto | stenzfo |
| homa (they) | kaystenzfo | stenzefo |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “stenzef” but also “stnzef”, “stanzef” and “istenzef”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.