tlef تلف

Moroccan Darija · verb

“tlef” (تلف) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to get lost, go astray.

Meanings

1. to get lost, go astray
2. to be confused, muddled
3. to be mislaid (object)

Usage

Tlef (imperfect ytlef) first means "to get lost", of a person who can no longer find their way: tlef 3la triq, "he lost his way". Applied to an object, it means "to go astray, to disappear". With the preposition l, it expresses a loss suffered: tlef liya s-sarout, "I lost the key", literally "the key got lost for me". Figuratively, it means "to get muddled". To say "to lose something" actively, the intensive form tellef is used: tellef hwayjou, "he mislaid his things". Note: this verb does not mean "to damage", unlike the Standard Arabic meaning.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tlef” but also “tlf”, “telf”, “tlaf” and “ytlef”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “tlef” on the Arabic keyboard