tjenneb تجنّب
Moroccan Darija · verb
“tjenneb” (تجنّب) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to avoid, keep away from.
Meanings
- to avoid, keep away from
- to refrain from
Usage
Tjenneb is used to say that one avoids a person, a place, a food or a situation. The object is direct (tjenneb had nnas, "avoid these people"), and one can also say tjenneb + verb for "to avoid doing". The register is neutral, slightly formal: in everyday conversation, people often say bε̣ed men ("keep away from") or ma tqerrebch l- ("don't go near"). The word is common in advice, medical recommendations and prevention messages. The imperative form is identical to the third-person past; only context tells them apart.
Example
تجنّب أي بلاصة فيها الفساد
tjenneb ayi blassa fiha lfasad
“Avoid any place where there is corruption.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kantjnnb | tjnnbt | |
| nta (you, m.) | kattjnnb | tjnnbti | tjnnb |
| nti (you, f.) | kattjnnbi | tjnnbti | tjnnbi |
| howa (he) | kaytjnnb | tjnnb | |
| hiya (she) | kattjnnb | tjnnbat | |
| 7na (we) | kantjnnbo | tjnnbna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | kattjnnbo | tjnnbto | tjnnbo |
| homa (they) | kaytjnnbo | tjnnbo |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tjenneb” but also “tjanneb”, “tjannab”, “tjnnb” and “tjeneb”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.